Pakistan vs. Australia 2nd Test: Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

Pakistan lead their two Test series against Australia 1-0 after completing a massive 221-run win in the first match.

Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Date: Thursday, 30 October

Start Time: 10 a.m. local (7 a.m. BST)

Live On: Zee Cinema (UK), Fox Sports (Australia) 

Weather:  AccuWeather.com forecasts a hot five days ahead, with temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius expected. There's no threat of rain, so there shouldn't be any interruptions. 

Overview

If there were any big concerns that Pakistan will struggle without spin ace Saeed Ajmal, they have been quelled for the time being.

Even with Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz out injured, Pakistan dominated the first Test. Much of that was thanks to Australia's inability to play spin. The visitors had just one batsman who managed a hundred in the entire Test, and a well-timed declaration from Misbah-ul-Haq saw Pakistan romp to a massive win.

Australia captain Michael Clarke was quick to call for perspective over the loss. He was quoted by ESPNCricinfo as saying:

"

It depends on if you're trying to sell a paper or not. If you're trying to sell a newspaper, it's an absolute disaster and you'll mention India. If you're part of the Australian cricket team then you'll look at the last 12 months and how well we've played and accept that we've lost a game. I think we need to be realistic and respect that we've played some fantastic cricket over the past 12 months.

"

Clarke is right, of course. Very few teams have had success in Pakistan’s adopted home of the United Arab Emirates, and it has become somewhat of a fortress. They have lost just four Tests out of 18 here, winning nine and drawing five, and Dubai has been one of the strongholds.

But the stats are not in Australia’s favour, even with a venue change. Abu Dhabi is a different kettle of fish, though, and has yielded draws almost persistently, but Pakistan have never lost here. They've played five Tests, winning two and drawing three, and scores tend to be higher on this surface.

A draw will be good enough for Pakistan, while Australia have to win in order to avoid losing the series. The Aussies were in a similar situation not too long ago when they needed to win their final Test against South Africa to win the series and did so. They certainly have some character, but it will take more than character to counter Pakistan’s spin wizardry.

Key players

Pakistan

Yasir Shah impressed with the ball, taking seven wickets at an average of 16.57 in what was his first ever Test. All eyes will be on Shah to see if he can follow up on that performance with some more crafty bowling.

Australia

Mitchell Johnson was key for Australia with both bat and ball. He was the only Australian bowler to keep his average below 50.00, taking three wickets for 73 runs, at an average of 24.33 and an economy rate of 1.69. He also put on a lower-order show with the bat and was the second highest Australian run-scorer, with 98 runs in the first Test.

Squads

Pakistan

Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Ehsan Adil, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Talha, Rahat Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed (W/k), Shan Masood, Taufeeq Umar, Yasir Shah, Younis Khan, Zulfiqar Babar

Australia

Michael Clarke (captain), George Bailey, Alex Doolan, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phil Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve O'Keefe, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner