Test previews / Richard O’Hagan / 05 January 2012 /

The suspensions to three of Pakistan's star players isn't all bad news because it has paved the way for three youngsters to come through and prove their worth in Test cricket. We give you Wahab Riaz, Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali.

As England prepare to take on Pakistan in the UAE much of the talk has, somewhat inevitably, been about the match-fixing scandal which overshadowed the last days of their contest in 2010. In particular, there has been much speculation about the likely strength of a Pakistan side shorn of not only its then-captain, Salman Butt, but two of its three main strike bowlers, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir.

Much of this speculation misses a very important point. Since that story broke, Pakistan have been a significantly improved side. Their record since that series ended reads P12 W6 D5 L1. Admittedly they have not been playing the titans of the cricketing world for some of those games - the stats include wins over Bangladesh and Zimbabwe - but they are unbeaten in the five 'home' games they have played in the United Arab Emirates and beat Sri Lanka comprehensively in one Test there at the end of October.

There are two reasons for this resurgence. One is the steadying influence of their much under-rated captain Misbah-ul-Haq, but the more important factor has been the opportunity that the loss of three star - if corrupt - players has given to younger men.

The main beneficiary of this has been Azhar Ali. For the early part of his career he was the classic example of a player who was never sure enough of his place to relax at the crease. Since the departure of Butt he has seized the chance to make the number three slot his own, playing in every one of those twelve Tests and scoring almost a thousand runs at exactly 51.00. The record includes ten fifties but only one hundred, which shows a considerable degree of consistency but a lack of stamina and concentration to bat for long periods. One statistic that England will have very much in mind is that he has only once been dismissed for less than 53 during innings in the UAE, which makes him a good bet to be Pakistan top series batsman at a price of around [6.0].

Another young player who has taken his chance well is Asad Shafiq. He has found making the transition to the Test arena harder than Azhar has. In part, this hasn't been helped by not having found a settled place in the order until recently, batting at four, five and six but also being the first man out of the side when Pakistan have felt it safe to play just five specialist batsmen. Whilst his average over the twelve games we are talking about is a fairly modest 38.75, it compares favourably with that of - for example - current South African number six Jacques Rudolph and he's a decent outside bet in the batting categories relating to individual Tests as he rarely fails twice in the same game.

Wahab Riaz needs no introduction (especially if you read Ralph Ellis' piece on Wednesday) but the left arm seamer has been something of a mercurial talent of late, culminating in his being dropped from the Test squad last year for unspecified reasons. New bowling coach Aaqib Javed has insisted upon his return and will hope that he rediscovers the form that led to him taking four of the first six English wickets to fall when he made his debut at The Oval in 2010. With Andrew Strauss' known vulnerability to left arm seamers, and the Emirates pitches favouring (to the extent that they favour any bowler) seam bowling, the Pakistanis will be hoping that the man they call 'Princess' hits top form from the first ball he bowls. Even though he will be playing alongside Umar Gul, don't bet against Riaz proving his point to the Pakistan selectors - and repaying Aaqib's faith in him - by running out as their leading wicket taker.

Best Bet: Azhar Ali to be Pakistan's top runscorer at [6.0]

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