Follow UsAustralia smashed England 4-0 in the Ashes series at home but skipper Pat Cummins is willing to play the long game in the forthcoming three-match series in Pakistan, starting on March 4 in Rawalpindi. The paceman said even a hard-fought draw will be valued as highly as a win in unfamiliar subcontinent conditions.
"The most obvious one is to win the series," Cummins told reporters on Friday (February 25) when asked his goals for Australia's first Test tour to Pakistan since 1998. "But I think that might not necessarily look like two wins and one loss or whatever, it might be having to grind out some tough Test matches and hold out for a draw. A hard-fought, five-day grinding out for a draw in the context of a three-match series might be as good as a win.
"We don't really know what we're going to expect over there, but subcontinent Test matches can be played quickly or can be played slowly."
Australia have won only three of their 20 Tests played in Pakistan between 1956 and 1998. They have lost seven and the remaining 10 have ended in a draw. Cummins have played red-ball cricket in India and Bangladesh and the 28-year-old feels he will be able to manage his bowling and captaincy together in these challenging conditions.
"I think I'll be able to manage. It's something I'll look at ... they might be long innings, but it's still 90 overs a day and I think that's totally manageable. This Test summer, a lot of Test matches only went three days. My first probably 15 to 20 Test matches I played, it felt like every one went for five days so I really like getting into the grind and I think that's going to be a challenge for our team, and one that hopefully we can embrace.
"That's just a reality of Test cricket. For a lot of this group, we haven't played a lot of cricket overseas so if we want to be number one in the world, we need to have a really good showing on these subcontinent tours, and that starts in Pakistan."
Overall, Australia don't have a great record in Asia. Ever since that series win in India in 2004, Australia have won only five of their 28 Tests in Asia, with three of those coming in Bangladesh (in 2006 and 2017).
"The reality is every Test you try to get ready for the long game, I think it's as much a mental thing as physical training. Obviously, us bowlers getting ready for the Test matches, we've had some really long spells in the nets so we're used to it. But I think it's that mindset of being okay with ticking along at two runs an over, whereas here you might be used to three or four runs an over.
"It throws up a different challenge to cricket we've grown up playing here in Australia, and watching. There's probably going to be times when I have to be more creative and try a few different things, be brave, so I'm excited for that challenge."
Cummins knows that reverse swing bowling will play an important role in Pakistan. "A lot of the time the ball just reverse swings, and we didn't really experience it this summer with grassy wickets and short games whereas over there it can be a real weapon. So we're just trying to upskill that. We haven't bowled a lot of reverse swing in the last year or so, but it's a huge factor going to the subcontinent."
Steve Smith doesn’t just average 48 in Asia but has also captained Australia in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India and Cummins feels lucky to have him as his deputy.
"We're not expecting to have the spin-friendly subcontinent conditions we've experienced in past Indian or Sri Lankan tours. It seems like the pace bowlers have done quite well and they (Pakistan) have got a really strong bowling pace bowling line-up.
"I feel like I'm lucky to have someone like Smithy, who's not only captained in India but also played quite a bit in the subcontinent. It's a new thing for me, captaining spin over there, but I don't think I'll be a deer in the headlights."
Cummins also said that the players are "comfortable" with security arrangements and are excited to play in Pakistan. They are due to leave over the weekend - giving them less than a week to acclimatise. "We've got to a place where everyone hopping on the plane is comfortable with where it's all sitting. It's been a really thorough body of work that the security and the logistics teams have worked through.
"And obviously the added layer of bio-security in these times as well. So we're feeling really good and once we get over there, we're going to be able to just concentrate on the cricket. More than anything it's a really special tour," he added. "We're going to fly over there and experience something for the first time. We're really excited, everyone is in a good place."
Usman Khawaja - who was born in Pakistan - is set to partner David Warner at the top of the order ahead of Marcus Harris, who was dropped during the Ashes. Cummins confirmed Steve Smith had recovered from a concussion during their recent Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka and will retain his place. Otherwise, the side is set to mirror the one that faced England in the fifth Test last month -- with Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitch Starc providing pace and Nathan Lyon spin.
However, interim coach Andrew McDonald - in charge after Justin Langer quit after the Ashes - admitted there had been "educated guesses" of how the pitches would play with two extra spinners in Mitchell Swepson and Ashton Agar also in the squad. "So we're covering all bases there, from turning wickets to potentially wickets with grass on (them). But we feel the squad's balanced and there are enough options for whatever the case may be when we land on the ground."
(With inputs from AFP)