Aussie greats inspire Pakistan's rising stars

Should Pakistan's emerging cohort of daring young Test cricketers extend Australia's pain on the subcontinent later this year, a golden era of the Baggy Green might well be to blame.

The feats of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Steve Waugh, Brett Lee and Ricky Ponting inspired a generation of kids to take up cricket during one of Australian cricket's most successful ever periods.

But their impact stretched much further than suburban driveways and endless bush backyards across the Australian continent.

In the distant Punjab region of Pakistan, two 1990s-born youngsters learnt the game watching the likes of Warne, McGrath, Lee and co. on television – and later the internet – and each modelling their games on those once-in-a-generation stars.

Hasan Ali was born just months after McGrath's Test debut and grew up in Ladhe Wala Waraich, a small village in an area better known for producing wrestlers and kabaddi players than fast bowlers.

At age five he started following his older brother Ataur Rehman to cricket training. So apparent was Hasan's potential as a teenager that Ataur helped construct a cement cricket pitch on the property of their family home. Their parents, concerned Hasan was neglecting his studies, burnt his cricket whites.

Undeterred, Hasan would practice for hours on his craft through his teenage years and while the likes of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram were integral in developing his love the game, the right-armer had other heroes.

"The Australian bowling attack, I love them," Hasan told cricket.com.au. "First McGrath, then Brett Lee, now (Josh) Hazelwood and (Mitchell) Starc. So many bowlers are coming through … I loved their team.

"It’s a very strong attack, the guys have good bodies and they’ve done well over the last couple of years.

"Every time I saw them on TV I loved them. They bowl with pace and aggression, they bowl with swing so most of the time when I (was watching) these guys, there are a lot of things I’ve learned from them."

Shadab Khan hails from Mianwali, the same city that produced Pakistan captains Imran Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, but had little exposure to the game until his family moved to Rawalpindi when he was 12.

Initially wielding a taped-up tennis ball as he learnt cricket’s finer points, Shadab bowled both pace and leg-spin until a coach recognised a unique skill and urged him to pick the latter.

It was solid advice. Shadab, remarkably, made his international debut not long after his 18th birthday and has since taken 65 wickets in his first 45 limited-overs games for Pakistan.

Asked which spinner he looked up to growing up, Shadab didn't hesitate: "Shane Warne.

"I looked to him because he is a legendary spinner. He spun the ball in every way, everywhere in the world. His line and length for a leg-spinner was very good, he was very accurate."

Shadab, now aged 19, and Hasan, 24, have each played only four Tests but loom as key cogs in Pakistan's bowling armoury for Australia's two-Test series in the United Arab Emirates.

The pair have already achieved much in a short time, having both played important roles in an improbable Champions Trophy triumph last year as well featuring in Pakistan’s memorable win over England at Lord’s.

Yet neither has played in a Test win in their adopted home in the Arabian Desert.

Four years ago a sky-high Michael Clarke-led Australian side, fresh off an Ashes whitewash and an away series in South Africa, were comprehensively dismantled by Pakistan in the UAE.

While the side Tim Paine will lead in October will be far less experienced than that 2014 team, Australia have demonstrated markedly improved recent capabilities in spin-friendly conditions with Test wins in India and Bangladesh in the past 18 months.

"Australia are a very good side, they can give a tough time to anyone in the world," Hasan warns. "They have been doing well in the last couple of years.

"It will be tough … (but) we have the advantage because it is our home series and we know how to play our conditions.

"Most of the time it is spinning tracks and we have great spinners, Yasir Shah is fit now and Shadab Khan, but Australia can be hard there."

The series will be Australia's first since Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were suspended in the Cape Town ball-tampering incident, adding a further challenge on the batting front.

And although Shadab may only still be a teenager, the wrist-spinner already has another Australian in his crosshairs.

"Shaun Marsh – in Test matches he plays very well so I’ll target him," Shadab said after being asked who his opponents' key batter will be.

"His temperament is very good in Test matches, he also performed well in England in the ODIs (in June) - he’s in good form so I want to attack him."