Australia's Test tour of Pakistan commences on December 14 which comprises of three Matches, part of the ICC World Test Championship, scheduled for Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne.
Winning a Test match in Australia stands as one of the most challenging tasks in international Cricket. Pakistan's last victory on Australian soil in the longest format dates back to 1995. This means that when Pakistan secured their last Test match win in Australia, many of the current squad members were yet to be born, and those who were born had not embarked on their cricketing careers.
The fact that Pakistan hasn't clinched a Test victory in Australia for over two decades speaks volumes about the formidable challenge, particularly for Pakistan, in winning a Test in Australian conditions. Adapting to these conditions proves arduous. A possible suggestion for excelling in Australian conditions is spending more time in the country, and engaging in extensive practice sessions.
Regarding the current tour, the Pakistan squad is currently practising in a week-long camp in Rawalpindi while they take off for Australia on November 30. They are likely to take a break on December 1 with official training commencing from the following day.
They will have approximately 12 days to prepare before the first Test Match. Prior to the series, Pakistan will only have one four-day game against the Prime Minister’s XI for practice.
During Pakistan's previous tour to Australia, they played a two-match Test series and engaged in a couple of tour matches while also playing the T20I series. However, this time around, they only have a single four-day game for preparation, which might prove insufficient. The most effective way to understand the conditions is by playing in them, hence a couple of practice games and spending more time could have better equipped Pakistan.
Pakistan also last played an international game on November 12 in the World Cup 2023 and PCB opted to give breaks to players to spend some time with the family.
However, viewing that the tour is in Down Under, it would have been great to reach Australia early or at least players who were not part of the World Cup squad going early.
We have seen this with India recently when they reached England for the final of the ICC World Test Championship quite late since many players were busy in the Indian Premier League (IPL) which resulted in a nightmare loss for them against Australia.
The bottom line is Pakistan could have arrived earlier for the series which could have helped them in adjusting to the conditions.
Amidst all this, Pakistan winning a Test in Australia would be something big since the wait for that moment has been long.
It must be noted only one Asian team, India, have won the Test series in Australia that too on two occasions.
Bazif Jabbar Passionate Cricket writer and Commentator. Sharing the magic of the game through words.