Pakistan plays Australia in the second Test match of the two-game series at Headingley in Leeds. The Aussies lead in the series 1-0 after a convincing 150-run win at Lord's and will now look to ensure that they continue their hold over Pakistan which has extended for many, many years in this format of the game. Pakistan, on the other hand, will need to shrug off all the controversies that took place after the game and start afresh.

For the Pakistanis, this may be a case of déjà-vu. The captain has resigned in the middle of the tour and that puts a new guy onto the job. Salman Butt has been appointed as the captain of the Pakistani side after Shahid Afridi decided to quit from the job because he thought he was not mentally tough enough. This has put the onus back on Butt, who is relatively younger and much more inexperienced.

In fact, the problem with having Butt as the captain is that he has been in and out of the Pakistani side for long now, without managing to cement his place. This has meant that the side has struggled with openers as well, but with a new responsibility of captaincy coming on his shoulders, things could get more difficult for them.

Australia would be observing all this. They would understand perfectly well that the environment within the team would be just right to attack with their full forces and ensure that the Pakistani side is caught off-balance. Salman Butt has hardly had a couple of days between the two Test matches and will find it difficult to arrange his thoughts. As an opener, it will be even more difficult to do that and that will be the cause of many problems for the Pakistani side.

For the Aussies, the things went pretty well in the first game. They bowled well, but they bowled particularly well. In the first innings when there were clouds and moisture in the pitch, it was evident that the fast bowlers would run through the opposition, whereas in the second, under the drier conditions, it became much easier for the batsmen, and the spinners came into the picture. Marcus North and Steve Smith shared most of the wickets, with the former going on to scalp a six-wicket haul as well.

The Leeds pitch should have a lot for the swing bowlers and that should make it interesting given that both sides have a decent line-up of bowling under these conditions.

Tag :- Australia   Marcus North   Pakistan   Salman Butt   Shahid Afridi