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Australia, though rattled in the Colombo Test, are still favourites to clinch the three-match series by winning the second Test starting Friday here at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

And if Steve Waugh and his men are able to tame a youthful Pakistan side it will be Australia's fifth successive Test triumph over Pakistan. When the two teams met last Down Under in 1999-2000, Australia whitewashed Wasim Akram-led Pakistan side 3-0.

Sharjah has been a happy hunting ground for Pakistan but the present Australian team is without doubt the world's best Test side and it will require something out of the ordinary to stop the baggy green juggernaut taking an unbeatable 2-0 lead.

Conditions here are similar to Sri Lanka and the oppressive heat and humidity will be felt by both the teams as the mercury is likely to hover around 40 degrees Celsius making bowling and fielding a tough proposition over the next five days if the match lasts that long.

On paper and in terms of performance the Australians have upper hand in all three departments of the game, batting, bowling and fielding. Despite the sensational collapse in the second innings in Colombo triggered by the express pace of Shoaib Akhtar, Aussies batting is formidable.

With gangling Glenn McGrath and spin king Shane Warne backed up by tearaway Brett Lee, the Aussies have the arsenal to undo Pakistan's vulnerable batting which invariably crumbles when put under pressure.

If one goes by the words of groundsmen and pitch experts the track is going to be slow, offering some assistance to spinners from the third day onwards. And in all probability both the teams are likely to replace one seamer with a spinner although the final eleven will be announced just before the toss.

Pakistan are expected to bring in young leg-spinner Danish Kaneria in place of speedster Mohammad Sami while Australia could induct uncapped off-spinner Nathan Hauritz for the injured Jason Gillespie although the pacer's replacement Brad Williams has arrived.

Reuters adds: Pakistan will target Steve Waugh in an attempt to make the Australia captain's 150th Test appearance as uncomfortable as possible.

Waugh and his twin brother Mark both made second innings ducks in Australia's first Test win and have come under further pressure to justify their places in the Australia team.

"No doubt Steve is a great player and has played some fine cricket at the highest level but we are not in mood to give him, or for that matter, other players any inch," Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis told reporters Thursday.

Steve Waugh discounted any suggestion that the Test would be a special landmark.

"It's just another Test for me," he said. "The idea is to play well, score some runs, captain the side well and win the match for Australia."

Australia, for their part, need to counter Shoaib, who took five wickets in 15 balls in the first Test.

"He did turn the match for a while, but in the end we won. That's what matter in the final analyses," Waugh said.

Teams (from):

Pakistan: Waqar Younis (captain), Imran Nazir, Taufiq Umar, Abdul Razzaq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Rashid Latif, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Danish Kaneria, Mohammed Sami.

Australia: Steve Waugh (captain), Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Nathan Hauritz, Brad Williams, Andy Bichel, Darren Lehmann.

Umpires: Srinivas Venkataraghavan (India) and Steve Bucknor (West Indies).

TV umpire: Nadeem Ghauri (Pakistan).

Match referee: Clive Lloyd (West Indies).

© Dawn