Fakhar in the mix for Aussie Tests: Sarfraz

Limited-overs revelation Fakhar Zaman could make his Test debut against Australia later this year after Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed endorsed him to make the leap to the longest format.

Fakhar has plundered bowling attacks the world over since making his entrance to international cricket last year, this week breaking Sir Viv Richards' long-standing record as the fastest man to 1,000 ODI runs.

That came after he posted a century in the final of the final of last year's Champions Trophy to vanquish fierce rivals India and lead Pakistan to an improbable 50-over title.

The former Pakistan navy officer's ODI batting average of 76.07 is now the highest of all-time (minimum 10 innings), albeit from a still small sample size of 18 innings, while his 515-run series against Zimbabwe is the highest ever tally in a five-game series.

And while Sarfraz points out Test cricket is a different ball game to the shorter formats, he hinted that Fakhar could be handed a debut against Australia in October's mooted two-Test series.

"If you look at our (Test) team, the opening slot is a concern," Sarfraz said, according to PakPassion.

"We can definitely try Fakhar in Tests in UAE. The way he's been playing, he is an opener who can attack the opposition. 

"I am hopeful that he plays Test cricket in the near future." 

Sarfraz, who only made his Test captaincy debut late last year, added: "Test match captaincy is completely different as you need to judge the whole game and make important (and) good decisions about the team combinations.

"I have captained in (five) matches so far so I am in the learning phase."

While Azhar Ali has been Pakistan's most dependable Test batter in recent times at the top of the order, the side have struggled to find a suitable opening partner for him.

Sami Aslam, Shan Masood, Ahmed Shahzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Sharjeel Khan and Imam-ul-Haq have all been tried as openers since the start of 2016 but not one has managed to score a century from that spot.

Imam, who's partnered Fakhar in the ODI side recently, and Azhar are the incumbent Test opening pair, but the latter batted at No.3 for Pakistan's most recent 'home' series in the UAE against Sri Lanka last October.

Such a move could open the door for Fakhar or, alternatively, the left-hander could slot in further down the batting order.

Either way, Sarfraz has been impressed by how well Fakhar has adapted to the top flight, calling out his double century in the fourth ODI against Zimbabwe as well as his superb 46-ball 91 against Australia in the final of the recent T20 tri-series.

"We gave Fakhar and Imam maximum chances while opening as this is an area we want to make strong," said Sarfraz. 

"When we play against top teams and play events, we want to keep improving with the opening pair. 

"We told Fakhar Zaman that if you score 100 in 30 overs and then play out the next 15 or 20 overs then you can make 200.

"We didn't send him any messages (from the dressing room during his double-hundred). He performed exceptionally on the whole tour, playing an excellent knock in the final against Australia also."