Adelaide: Pakistan were set to recall paceman Mohammad Abbas Thursday for the second Test against Australia as they look to add consistency to their bowling attack under lights at Adelaide Oval.
Skipper Azhar Ali will also drop down the order to bat at number three in the day-night Test starting Friday, with Imam-ul-Haq set to get the nod to open the innings alongside Shan Masood and Haris Sohail dropped. Seamer Abbas has taken 66 wickets at just 18.86 in his 14 Tests but was a surprise omission for the opening clash in Brisbane, where Pakistan were crushed by an innings and five runs. “Definitely there will be some changes,” Azhar said of the team line-up, which will be announced on Friday. Asked if Abbas would be one of those changes, he replied: “Yes.” “He’s done well in Test matches, he can definitely bring a lot of control and he has worked a lot since the last Test match on his rhythm and he is feeling better,” he said. “Obviously a bowler of his class, you feel he has something to offer.” Azhar would not say who Abbas would replace, but Imran Khan is a candidate after failing to fire in Brisbane. Naseem Shah, 16, could also be rested with Pakistan keen to manage the workload of the teenager, whose mother died recently. Pakistan desperately need their bowlers to perform in Adelaide, having lost 13 consecutive Tests in Australia.b (AFP)
