Australia vs Pakistan 2019: 3 things to look forward to in the Test series

A young and inexperienced Pakistan side will take on Australia in their own backyard with the aim of winning their first ever Test series Down Under. Pakistan have tied one series but have never won in Australia thus far, with their last Test win coming at Sydney back in 1995.

Only a few current players, including Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq and skipper Azhar Ali, were part of the squad that toured last time around in 2016-17, when they were whitewashed 3-0.

The first Test is scheduled to be played at the Gabba in Brisbane from 21 November. The Gabba is a venue where Pakistan have never won a Test, while Australia are unbeaten there since 1988 - the best ever sequence by a Test-playing nation at a single venue.

The odds are heavily favored for the home side to win the series. But the famous tagline comes to mind when you talk of Pakistan cricket: “expect the unexpected”.

As the Australian Test summer gets started, here are the three things that we can look forward to in the series against Pakistan.

#1 Smith's battle against the Pakistan pace battery

Steven “Run Machine” Smith will be playing his first Test on home soil since the sandpaper scandal, and would want to give the home fans something to cheer. He was at his imperious best in the Ashes series a few months ago, as no England bowler found a way to dismiss him early.

The duel between Smith and the young Pakistan pace bowlers could be very interesting and exciting. The visiting side have included the 16-year-old debutant Naseem Shah for the first Test at the Gabba, and going by what he dished out in the tour game, his battle with the No. 1 Test batsman on a lively surface could be mouth-watering.