Well, that isn't the case. Pacemen Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar and burly wrist spinner Mushtaq Ahmad are all on injury list which has made them doubtful starters for the Test beginning at the Arbab Niaz Stadium from Thursday.

Akram has a severe throat infection, Akhtar twisted his ankle in a training session on Wednesday and Mushtaq Ahmad has a bruised left knee.

But team sources said the three were still likely to be named in the playing lineup though Mushtaq Ahmad will have to undergo a fitness test early Thursday morning.

``Wasim (Akram) and Shoaib (Akhtar) feel that they are fit to play the Test. But Mushtaq wants to try out his knee for the last time on Thursday morning,'' sources said.

Mushtaq Ahmad, however, said he was confident that he would make into the playing side.

``I rate myself 70% fit. Another 10% would be enough to pass the (fitness) test. The injury is not in the knee which was operated upon two years ago. It's in the other one and I think it got bruised during the first Test,'' Mushtaq told Dawn.

Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail admitted that the injuries would upset his stomach. ``I think I will have a sleepless night. The three bowlers are key to success and any captain would get his stomach upset by thinking whether they would be fit for the Test which is so very important to us.''

While Mushtaq Ahmad is ready to take chance if 80% fit, Australia have left out their man in form, Darren Lehmann, who is yet to regain complete fitness after suffering a groin injury during the four-dayer against Rawalpindi earlier this week.

``Darren (Lehmann) is 80% fitness but we are not ready to take any chances. He has to be cent percent fit if he has to play. Naturally he isn't and therefore, he has been replaced by Ricky Ponting,'' Australian skipper Mark Taylor told reporters.

Lehmann scored a century in each innings against Rawalpindi and missed the three figures in the first Test when he was out for 98.

``It's a blow but Ricky Ponting is as good a player. I and Mark Waugh are not among runs but we are coming from a long off season. We both scored centuries (against India) in the last Test of the previous season,'' Taylor, who has crossed the 50-mark only once in five outings in Pakistan, stated.

Taylor said the 12 players have been decided out of whom the 12th man would be finalized in the morning. He said the tie for the last position is between utility bowler Colin Miller and paceman Michael Kasprowicz.

Pakistan has maintained the tradition of keeping the newsmen guessing about the actual team by not announcing the playing lineup until the morning of the Test. But indications are that they have decided against taking the risk of playing with the combination that backfired at Rawalpindi where the team lost the opening Test by an innings and 99 runs.

At least three changes are on cards from the team which suffered its first defeat against Australia in 39 years on home soil.

Ijaz Ahmad is likely to reclaim his one-down position, Yousuf Yohanna is expected to bat at No 6 while Shoaib Akhtar would replace Mohammad Husain.

Speculations of Shahid Afridi getting his first Test cap evaporated on Wednesday afternoon when the pinch-hitter batted well after Mushtaq Ahmad in the final training session.

The Pakistan cricket selectors had also beefed-up the injury-hit squad by adding Rawalpindi's Mohammad Naveed and Shakeel Ahmad. But both will be carrying the towels.

Naveed scored a magnificent 48 and 115 not out in the four-day against Australia while Shakeel had captured 10 wickets in the match conceding 169 runs.

If history has anything to do with the Test at Arbab Niaz Stadium, Pakistan should inflict an innings defeat on Australia.

In the previous two Tests played here, Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 40 runs three year ago and last year, whipped the West Indies by an innings and 19 runs.

But matches are won on present form which at the moment Australia are in. They blasted KCCA in the tour opener by 333 runs and than notched up a historic triumph at Rawalpindi.

The wicket prepared for the Test appears to be solid with small patches of grass. PCB curator Bashir Ahmad believes that it would have an even bounce and should produce a result.

``Having a green top doesn't mean that it would be a quick one or would assist the seamers. It is the surface which matters and this pitch is really hard. The ball would come at a decent height,'' he remarked.

With overnight dew and wind blowing across, the pitch might help the fast bowlers in the first session but should ease out as the match would progress. By the third day, it might start helping the spinners.

``There's a bit of grass on it (wicket). We might decide to play with an additional seamer (Michael Kasprowicz),'' Mark Taylor said.

However, he said that the wicket reminded him of the one at Sydney. ``I don't know how much it would turn but it is as hard as the ones we have at Sydney, probably harder than Sydney,'' he added.

Pakistan coach Javed Miandad termed the wicket as a result-oriented one. ``It is a good pitch and mind you we have not intervened in its preparation.

``Looking at the surface, we might play with three regular seamers with Azhar Mahmood as back-up,'' Miandad said.

He agreed the preparation of the wicket was the discretion of the home team but stressed that he wasn't worried if it was a quick track or a spinning one.

``We have good pacers and good spinners. We are not bothered,'' he said.

Both the teams are tight-lipped about their strategies as what they would do in case they won the toss. But independent sources said Australia and Pakistan have decided to put the opposition to bat in an effort to extract the early morning advantage.

All said and done. The next five days should produce a better tussle between the bat and the ball as compared to what we had in the Rawalpindi Test.

Teams

Australia: Mark Taylor (captain), Michael Slater, Mark Waugh, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, Ian Healy, Stuart MacGill, Damien Fleming, Glenn McGrath, Collin Miller, Michael Kasprowicz, Gavin Robertson, Darren Lehmann.

Pakistan: Aamir Sohail (captain), Saeed Anwar, Ijaz Ahmad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Salim Malik, Yousuf Yohanna, Shahid Afridi, Moin Khan, Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood, Mushtaq Ahmad, Shoaib Akhtar, Arshad Khan, Mohammad Zahid, Mohammad Naveed, Shakeel Ahmad.

Umpires: Steve Bucknor (West Indies), Nazir Junior (Pakistan)

Third Umpire: Said Shah (Pakistan)

Match Referee: Peter Van der Merve (South Africa).