Twelve years ago, it will be remembered, they had a singularly unimpressive lead-in to a series which they eventually won 2-1. Now they approach the last of their preparatory matches against a powerful Queensland side tomorrow without even a sniff of victory in their two first-class games to date but having at least made the point that they will be hard to beat.
When they were four down in the second innings against South Australia on Monday, with four sessions of play stretching ahead and 58 runs still to be knocked off before they could even get level, the only optimistic spin which could have been applied to events was that the home side might again be deceived into believing that their challengers were worse than they are.
Now, a reappraisal has begun, though defeat by a Queensland team led by Ian Healy would rapidly put a stop to it. Not to be outdone for more than a few hours, the Australian one-day side duly ended their tour of Pakistan with a record total of their own, the highest made to win a one-day international. It concluded a mission of unprecedented success in a land where things have often gone wrong for Australian teams.
Andrew Symonds, who made his belated first international appearance in Lahore, is one of eight players in the Queensland side who have played for Australia, though only Healy, his deputy Stuart Law and the new-ball pair, Michael Kasprowicz and Andy Bichel, have played a Test. Kasprowicz is widely expected to be selected for the Brisbane Test next week and Bichel is in the running after a good start to the season. He took five for 31 when New Zealand also played in Cairns last year and were thrashed by an innings and 127 runs.
Queensland's XI tomorrow is as it was in that match 13 months ago and still has some of the players who scored four hundreds between them against England's last touring team before narrowly failing in a fourth-innings run chase. The successful England spinners on that occasion in Toomwoomba might not come easily to mind: Phil Tufnell and . . . Shaun Udal.
At least one spinner will surely be required this time in the tropical heat of Cairns. The atmosphere is far more West Indian than Australian. It will be interesting to see whether the selectors - Stewart, Hussain, Gooch and Lloyd - plump for Peter Such or Robert Croft when they pick the team. Such has been comfortably the more impressive so far.
It is quite possible, however, that neither will play in Brisbane next week. The composition of that first Test side may be the most crucial decision the selectors will make all tour. The Gabba Test usually shapes the series and there is a leaning towards playing all seven specialist batsmen. Runs for Stewart and Mark Butcher in this match might allow a bolder approach and Ben Hollioake still has a chance of getting in at No 7 if he is given a chance in this game.
Stewart said after arriving in Cairns yesterday afternoon: ``The side which plays against Queensland won't be the Test side but Darren Gough and Alan Mullally will obviously play here. Hollioake is probably 80 per cent fit to bowl now. All the bowlers who played in Adelaide did well. Mark Butcher and myself just need to spend time in the middle now. We have the option of playing five bowlers or seven batters but we'll wait until we see what the Brisbane conditions are going to be.''
One man who will not play tomorrow is Warren Hegg, Stewart's reserve wicketkeeper, who has returned to Lancashire to be with his wife, who is expecting their first child. He will return to Australia next week. John Crawley could take the gloves in an emergency.
Jason Gallian captains an England XI in the first of three one-day ``internationals'' against a Barbados XI at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown today.
England XI (from): *J E R Gallian, C W J Athey, B C Broad, R J Bailey, D J Sales, C White, D J Capel, -C M W Read, G Chapple, K T Medlycott, D E Malcolm, P W Jarvis.
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Warne sets target
SHANE WARNE has all but written himself out of the first two Ashes Tests against England. The leg-spinner admitted yesterday it was not realistic to target either the Brisbane or Perth matches but said his goal was to return for the third at the Adelaide Oval on Dec 11-15.
Warne's recovery from major shoulder surgery will be tested when he leads Victoria in the Sheffield Shield against Western Australia in Perth on Friday.
``I'll get through this Shield game okay, bowl a few more in the next game and gradually build it up,'' Warne said. He added that his shoulder showed no reaction after bowling eight overs in Victoria's win over NSW last week.