All you need to know: Australia v Pakistan, first Test

It's the 'West Test' for the opening match of the summer as Pakistan return to Australia where they have so much history, but so little success in recent tours.  

Match facts   

Who: Australia v Pakistan 

What: First NRMA Insurance Test Match 

When: 14 December – 18 December 2023 

Where: Perth Stadium, Perth 

How to watch: Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports and Channel 7. Click here for an international broadcast guide    

Officials: Richard Illingworth and Joel Wilson (standing), Michael Gough (third), Javagal Srinath (match referee) 

Live scores: Match Centre   

Highlights, news and reactions after the match: cricket.com.au, the CA Live app, the Unplayable Podcast   

The Squads 

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner

 

Pakistan: Shan Masood (c), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Nauman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi 

Australia are at full strength for the opening Test of the summer with all contending players fit and available for selection. The only change has been the elevation to the vice-captaincy for Travis Head, continuing the batter's incredible 2023 with this honour coming after a hundred in the World Test Championship final mid-year, and a hundred in the ODI World Cup final, both against India. 

Pakistan's first hit-out of the tour came last week in Canberra in the Prime Minister's XI match, which unfortunately for them saw an injury to leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed. Shan Masood has been installed as captain, after Babar Azam resigned following a disappointing ODI World Cup.

Local knowledge   

Australia have now played three Tests at Perth Stadium and hold a perfect record with three victories, against India, New Zealand and West Indies.  

Much like the WACA Ground on the other side of the Swan River, the faster bowlers enjoy the conditions here due to the extra pace and bounce offered by the hard surface. But spinners have been just as effective, with the differences in bowling averages and strike rates between the two negligible.  

Pakistan have not played a Test at Perth Stadium, however they did play the first men's T20 International at the venue, a match they lost by 10 wickets.  

Starting XIs   

Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitch Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

 

Pakistan XI: Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Aamir Jamal, Khurram Shahzad

Pat Cummins confirmed the playing XI for the first Test on Wednesday afternoon, and the Aussies go in backing David Warner at the top of the order and Mitch Marsh in the number six position that Cameron Green held last summer. Nathan Lyon returns following his calf injury sustained in the Ashes and the 'big three' quicks are all available following their heroics in the World Cup final less than a month ago.

Pakistan will commence a new era under their new captain Shan Masood, who takes over from Babar Azam. They have a very settled top five, included their prolific openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq. Sarfaraz Ahmed was the first-choice wicketkeeper on their recent tour of Sri Lanka and Masood confirmed that he will start over Mohammad Rizwan. Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed will miss the first Test with soreness in his right leg, with off-spinning allrounder Salman Ali Agha to bowl the spin overs in the first Test. The experienced Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead a pace attack with two debutants, right-armers Khurram Shahzad and Aamir Jamal.  

Recent form   

Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, D: draw   

Australia: LDLWWWDWLL 

Australia's most recent red-ball match, the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval, wrapped up on July 31. It's easy to forget that only six months ago they won their maiden World Test Championship title with a win over India in London. From the third Test in India, through to the WTC final and the opening two Ashes Tests, they won four of five matches but finished their UK tour with a winless final three games.  

Pakistan: WWDDLLLLWL 

While Australia have played 11 Tests in 2023, Pakistan have played only three. Their year began with a drawn series (0-0) against New Zealand at home and they followed that up with a 2-0 victory over Sri Lanka, away from home. That included a crushing innings victory in Colombo in late July, meaning both sides have been out of five-day cricket for roughly the same amount of time.

Last time they met 

March 2022 was the most recent clash between these two nations, when Australia toured Pakistan for the first time in 24 years after a long layoff due to security reasons. All three Tests were played on slow, unexciting pitches and after tepid draws in the first two Tests (Rawalpindi and Karachi), Australia managed to break through Pakistan's defences in the final match in Lahore with a 115-run win to seal an historic victory.  

Head-to-head

Overall: Australia 34 wins, Pakistan 15 wins, 20 draws 

Past 10 years: Australia six wins, Pakistan three wins, three draws 

In Australia: Australia 26 wins, Pakistan four wins, seven draws  

Most runs: Javed Miandad (1797), Allan Border (1666), Greg Chappell (1581), Ricky Ponting (1537) 

Most wickets: Shane Warne (90), Glenn McGrath (80), Dennis Lillee (71), Imran Khan (64) 

Rapid stats  

• Australia have lost only one of their last 10 men’s Tests against Pakistan (W6 D3) – a 373-run loss in October 2018; they are undefeated in their five meetings since then (W3 D2) 
• Australia have lost only one of their last 25 men’s Tests at home against Pakistan (W19 D5) – a 74-run defeat in Sydney in December 1995; they have won their 14 such fixtures since then  
• Pakistan have won six of their last seven men’s Tests away from home (L1)
• Australia have won all their three men’s Tests at Perth Stadium, batting first in each of those three matches; only at Old Wanderers Ground in Johannesburg (W2 D3) have they played more games at a single venue in the history of the format without losing.  
• Travis Head (2,904) is 96 away from scoring 3,000 runs for Australia in men’s Tests; Head has scored 50+ in three of his five Test innings at Perth Stadium (58, 19, 56, 5, 99).  
• Nathan Lyon (496) is four away from becoming the third player to take 500 wickets in men’s Tests for Australia (Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath) and the eighth overall; however, Lyon’s Test bowling average against Pakistan (46.6) is his highest against any team.
• Babar Azam (49) is one away from reaching 50 appearances in men’s Tests for Pakistan; he has scored 50+ in each of his last three Test innings against Australia (196, 67, 55).

Where to next?   

The Melbourne Cricket Ground will host the next match of this series, the Boxing Day Test on December 26. 

NRMA Insurance Test series v Pakistan

Prime Minister's XI v Pakistan XI: Match drawn

First Test: December 14-18, Perth Stadium (1.20pm AEDT)

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG (10.30am AEDT)

Third Test: January 3-7, SCG (10.30am AEDT)

Australia squad: (first Test only) Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi