“We will not take them easy, but we have planned against them and you will see good cricket,” says Babar

The opening test game between Australia and Pakistan is threatened by rain while the rain has forced both teams to stop the practice session on Thursday but the forecast is clear for Friday and most of Saturday.

The historic test series between Pakistan and Australia is threatened by rain, but even storm clouds failed to dampen the mood of rival skippers Pat Cummins and Babar Azam on the eve of the match. Rain has forced both teams to stop the practice session on Thursday but the forecast is clear for Friday and most of Saturday, with showers likely on the last three days of play. 

However, the weather, Cummins, and Babar were geared up for the historic test to be played in front of a sell-out of 16,000 spectators in Rawalpindi, the garrison city just south of the capital, Islamabad.

The terrorist attack happened in 2009 at the Sri Lanka cricket team bus in Lahore and after that, no one come to tour Pakistan till 2019.

“It looks like a good wicket… as expected,”

Cummins told reporters on the eve of the match.

He said Australia would probably go into the test with three quick bowlers or two spinners.

“We just want to have another look at the wicket,”

he said.

The visitor captain refused to accept that Pakistan would be fielding a depleted side as a result of injuries to star fast bowlers Hassan Ali and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf.

“It’s a loss for the Pakistan side, but there’s always another guy that can step up,”

he said.

But he played down being tagged as “favorites” after their comprehensive 4-0 beating of England in the Ashes series that ended in January.

“To be honest it doesn’t mean much,”

he said.

“We feel lucky that we’ve got a strong squad coming off some really good performances, but… it’s unfamiliar conditions, so we’ll see.”

Pakistan captain Babar, however, said the side would miss the pair-particular Hassan, who took 10 wickets in Pakistan’s win over South Africa in Rawalpindi last year.

“Hasan is a match-winner and Ashraf contributes in both batting and bowling so that has disturbed our combination,”

said Azam, whose team is likely to include teenage fast-bowler Naseem Shah.

Naseem took a hat-trick against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi stadium two years ago.

“Still, we have Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shah who both are bowling well, and Fawad Alam and Rizwan in good batting form,”

said Azam.

Pakistan is likely to add two spinners Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan, with all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmad a supporting act.

Babar said the Kangaroos were strong and experienced but were confident of a good showing from the home side.

“We will not take them easy, but we have planned against them and you will see good cricket,”

he said.

Australia will play the three tests, three ODIs, and a T20I against Pakistan. Rawalpindi will host the first historic test game while Karachi and Lahore will also host the second and third test game respectively. The white-ball series will be played in Rawalpindi from March 29 to April 5.