McGrath is eager to put pressure on 'volatile' Pakistan

Australia begin their preparations for this winter's Ashes series when they come up against a nomadic, under-siege Pakistan side in the three-Test series, starting here at Saravanamuttu stadium in Sri Lanka today.

Steve Waugh will lead a formidable Australian squad into the series, which had to be moved out of Pakistan because of security concerns. The teams will move on to the Gulf venue of Sharjah for the last two Tests, starting on 11 and 19 October.

Waugh can hope to prevail over a side struggling on several fronts. Pakistan have been unable to play a single home game since May, when New Zealand curtailed a tour after a bomb blast near their hotel on the morning of the second Test killed 11 people.

Apart from the frustration of not being able to play at home, Pakistan are suffering from injuries, withdrawals and the effects of internal politics.

Their most dependable batsman, Inzamam-ul-Haq, has undergone surgery on a heel injury while his fellow middle-order batsman Yousuf Youhana is out with a shoulder problem. The veteran fast bowler Wasim Akram and experienced opener Saeed Anwar have withdrawn, leaving youngsters to face a bowling attack led by the fast bowler Glenn McGrath and the spinner Shane Warne.

"Potentially Pakistan have a lot of young fellows coming in with a lot of pressure on them," McGrath said yesterday. "If we can get on top of them early on we might be able to keep them down for the whole series. That will be our plan.

"But if the volatile Pakistan team are given room to breathe, it could just as quickly turn nasty for us."

Pakistan's injuries have only added to the sense of crisis which followed their early exit in the 12-team ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka. That led to the sacking of the coach, Mudassar Nazar, and the team manager, Yawar Saeed.

The South Africa-based Englishman Richard Pybus was recalled as coach for the fourth time and will need to work hard to motivate his side. But the series could be a great opportunity for newcomers like the opening batsmen Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar, Hasan Raza and Faisal Iqbal in the middle order and the leg-spinner Danish Kaneria.

For Australia, the spotlight will be on Steve Waugh and his brother, Mark, who are both fighting to improve their Test batting and prolong their international careers after being dropped from the one-day side. Steve Waugh has not scored a hundred in his last nine Tests. "You expect that, it's why you play, it's not a free ride. I expect to score runs and stay in the side," he said.

AUSTRALIA (from): S R Waugh (capt), A C Gilchrist (wkt), M L Hayden, J L Langer, D R Martyn, R T Ponting, D S Lehmann, S K Warne, N M Hauritz, M E Waugh, J N Gillespie, B Lee, A J Bichel, G D McGrath.

PAKISTAN (from): Waqar Younis (capt), Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Taufeeq Umar, Faisal Iqbal, Hasan Raza, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Rashid Latif (wkt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdur Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Danish Kaneria, Naved-ul-Hasan, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mohammad Zahid.