DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss and elected to bat first in the first test of a two-match series against Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The hosts handed a debut to offspinner Bilal Asif, with 26-test seamer Wahab Riaz selected ahead of Mir Hamza.
Australia named three debutants with batsmen Aaron Finch, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne coming into the team for visitors' first test since the ball-tampering incident at Newlands, South Africa in March that saw captain Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft receive lengthy bans for their part in trying to change the condition of the ball with a piece of sandpaper.
Australia has lost four of its last five test series in Asia, including a 2-0 series defeat on its last tour of the UAE to play Pakistan in 2014.
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Teams:
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Yasir Shah, Bilal Asif, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Abbas
Australia: Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Tim Paine (captain), Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle, Jon Holland, Nathan Lyon
Umpires: Richard Kettleborough and Richard Illingworth, England.
Third Umpire: Sundaram Ravi, India; Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle, Sri Lanka.
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