September 05, 2007	Wednesday	Sha'aban 22, 1428

LAHORE, Sept 4: Australia ‘A’ will take on its Pakistan ‘A’ in first of the three-match one-day series here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.

The Kangaroos, who had earlier landed in Lahore with just 12 players, were still awaiting the arrival of key players Jason Gillespie and leg-spinner Stuart MacGill who are expected to join them on Tuesday night and Wednesday respectively.

“Gillespie arrives on Tuesday night and the decision about whether he will play in the first one-dayer will be taken before the start of the match,” Australian captain Adam Voges said at a press conference here on Tuesday. “Gillespie’s inclusion will definitely strengthen our fast bowling attack and we are expecting him to be in perfect playing form despite long travelling,” said the 28-year-old Adam.

The second one-dayer will be played in Sheikhupura on Friday and the last one again at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday. After that the two teams will play two four-day games in Lahore and Faisalabad.

The series promises tough completion as both Pakistani and Australian captains have vowed to give their best in matches. “Both are balanced squads,” said Voges. “And though the home advantage is there for Pakistan, we have talented boys in our ranks who are confident about victory. We definitely look forward to a keen contest.”

The Australian team, according to their skipper, is strong in the spin and batting departments. Voges said the Gaddafi Stadium pitch looked batting-friendly and the match should be a high-scoring one. “I have had a look at the pitch and it seems more suited for batsmen rather than the bowlers,” he said while praising the efforts of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Government of Pakistan for the excellent security arrangements.

Pakistan A skipper Faisal Iqbal, brimming with confidence on the eve of the series, said he was aiming to go all out for winning the series. “We have good players in all three departments and some useful all-rounders, too, so I hope Pakistan will be in a position to beat Australia,” Faisal, flanked by his coach Aaqib Javed, said.

However, he was reluctant to comment on Australia’s strengths. “Since there is no scale to adjudge the performance of ‘A’ teams, I cannot compare the two outfits right now. We meet each other on the field for the first time tomorrow and that will help us get to assess each other,” he added.

Faisal, however, admitted that the Australians had a strong cricket infrastructure back home and have ruled the world of cricket for many years which could be plus for their ‘A’ squad as well.

Faisal candidly said the series was his big chance to excel and make it back to the national side.

But although Faisal considers his team a well-balanced outfit, coach Aaqib Javed said that the spin department needed to pull up socks for an impact in series.

“Though we have a good leg-spinner in Mansoor Amjad and a fine off-spinner in Atif Maqbool, they need to win matches for us. Even the Pakistan team needs an alternate to Danish Kaneria which we have not had for a long time,” said Aaqib.

The match starts at 9.30am on Wednesday with Nadeem Ghauri and Zameer Haider as the field umpires. Professor Anis is the match referee.

Teams (from):

PAKISTAN ‘A’: Faisal Iqbal (captain), Taufiq Umar, Khalid Latif, Yasir Hameed, Naved Latif, Sohail Tanvir, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), Tahir Khan, Mohammad Khalil, Abdur Rauf, Mohammad Irshad, Shahid Yousuf, Junaid Zia, Najaf Shah, Mansoor Amjad, Riffatullah Mohmand.

AUSTRALIA ‘A’: Adam Voges (captain), Cameron White, Cullen Bailey, Doug Bollinger, Luke Butterworth, Dan Cullen, James Hopes, David Hussey, Phil Jaques, Ashley Noffke, Chris Rogers, Luke Ronchi (wicket-keeper).