Younis, who has captured 267 Test wickets in 53 matches, has not played competitive cricket for nearly three months after suffering an elbow injury. The injury also cut-short his appearance in the English County Championship for Glamorgan who finished at a disappointing 13th after winning the title last year.
Younis' comeback preparations were further dented by intermittent rains that hit the Lahore metropolis last week. But the four-day match is expected to provide him the real tonic for the series ahead though the hot weather might restrict him from bowling at full throttle or long spells.
``I haven't tried my elbow yet but I am very comfortable now and satisfied with the way it has responded to the treatment,'' he added.
``The basic objective of playing this game is that I want to regain my lost rhythm. If I thought I should play the Test, I would confirm my availability otherwise I would pull out.
``Test cricket is a different ball game and you have to be super-fit to sustain the rigours and I have not bowled for over three months,'' Younis said.
The selectors, who are expected to meet later this week to finalize the first Test squad, are themselves in a quandary. They have three other pacemen - Wasim Akram, Mohammad Zahid and Shoaib Akhtar - in line. Zahid and Akhtar are the quickest bowlers around while Akram's track record speaks for itself.
Although it was still unclear what type of a wicket is being prepared for the first Test at Rawalpindi, the selectors are likely to pick up three pacers with Azhar Mahmood as the fourth seamer.
Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail, who will be leading Karachi, gave the support and confident Younis would be needing. ``It is not a matter of performance. He is playing because he is short of match-practice. I am sure that when the selectors announce the squad (for the Test), Younis would be there.''
Sohail said he was playing the four-day match because he wanted to judge the strength and weakness of the Australian team. ``I could have seen them playing from outside but it's a different experience while in the field,'' he said.
KCCA, the reigning Quaid-i-Azam Trophy champions, have further beefed-up their side by including pinch-hitter Shahid Afridi, world's youngest Test player Hasan Raza, Test spinner Ali Husain Rizvi and Test discard Azam Khan.
Australian captain Mark Taylor hoped that Karachi would provide his team the real test and practice before next week's first Test. ``Ideally, we would have liked to have two warm-up matches before the first Test but that probably couldn't be organized because of the current schedules.
``It would have been nice to have one more lead-up game. But we had only one side match four years ago and we played it right. So, we have to make sure that we give everything we can in the next four days,'' said Taylor, who scored a pair when he played here last time in the first Test in 1994-95, said.
Australia's only other four-day game after this one is after the first Test. The four-day at Rawalpindi between Oct 8 and 11 will be followed by back-to-back Tests at Peshawar and Karachi.
``I haven't seen the Karachi side but I expect a pretty good and hard game. Waqar Younis is playing the match and I believe they (Karachi) have picked up some more good players,'' Taylor remarked.
The Australian opener said he would not be trying anything different against Karachi except to play good cricket. He said he was hoping for good and long innings from his batsmen and the bowlers working hard by bowling to a decent line and length on a wicket which appears to be a batting strip.
Stuart MacGill, who has been drafted into the side in place of an absent Shane Warne, will be making his first impression when he was announced in the playing team.
``It would be a good chance for him to get some overs under his belt and find form for the matches ahead,'' Taylor said.
Australia have left out paceman Damien Fleming, seamer-cum-spinner Colin Miller and batsman Darren Lehman out of their side.
Teams:
Australia: Mark Taylor (captain), Steve Waugh (vice-captain), Michael Slater, Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, Ian Healy, Gavin Robertson, Stuart MacGill, Michael Kasprowicz, Glenn McGrath.
KCCA (from): Aamir Sohail (captain), Shahid Afridi, Suleman Huda, Hasan Raza, Farhan Adil, Saeed Azad, Azam Khan, Atiquz Zaman (wicketkeeper), Iqbal Imam, Ali Husain Rizvi, Zafar Iqbal, Waqar Younis, Ali Gohar.
Umpires: Salim Badar and Riazuddin
Match Referee: Iqbal Sikandar