Pakistan cricket team is in Australia to face another tough challenge. After losing the Test series against New Zealand it will be a daunting task for the Green-shirts.

Pakistan team is a very talented side, but talent alone is not enough to beat the world’s top team. It is no longer the force it used to be in the late eighties and the early nineties.

People fail to realise that matches are won through spirit and team effort. The big names can’t guarantee success in the long run. Pakistan do produce extraordinary results now and then, but that has more to do with individual brilliance than team effort. A player can help his team win a few matches, but not a whole series.

The lack of professional approach and fitness can be called the root cause of Pakistan’s inconsistent performance. Australia have put a lot of planning and patience into building the team and now the results are there for all to see.

There is a huge gap between the standard of cricket that is played in Pakistan and at the international level. When a Pakistani youngster enters the international arena, he finds it difficult to adjust to the conditions. This sudden change in the standard puts the new players in a tight spot. That, in most of the cases, means failure and a premature end to their careers.

Since the retirement of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis Pakistan have been in search of a quality and consistent strike bowler. Only speed is not enough to unsettle good batsmen. A bowler also needs a good brain to figure out the batsmen’s weaknesses and exploit them accordingly.

Australia’s exceptional run of successes has not come out of the blue. It has taken a lot of hard work from the Australian administrators.

No doubt Australia current side still has some loopholes which can be exploited. But after being beaten in the Test series against South Africa, Australia bounced back strongly and beat New Zealand comprehensively, which proved that they learnt from their mistakes quickly. Therefore, underestimating Kangaroos will be harmful for Pakistan.

Pakistan lost all three previous series in Australia: in 1999, 2004 and 2009.

Former Pakistan coach Waqar Younis says that it’s never easy in Australia because of the bouncy pitches, but he feels that Pakistan have the best chance to beat the Aussies this time around.

Pakistan have won only four Tests in Australia out of 32. The current team is arguably the weakest side to have faced Pakistan on home soil.

In April this year, Misbah marked the Australia tour as possibly his last series, but on the request of PCB chief Shaharyar Khan he may extend his stay as there is no immediate replacement of Pakistan’s most successful captain.

Australia series will decide the future of Younis Khan who scored only 16 runs in New Zealand, averaging 4.

A quality spinner is always a trump card for his side. Yasir Shah could have been the key player against Australia. But unfortunately he missed the warm up game before the first Test against Cricket Australia XI due to his back problem.

After Saeed Ajmal, now Yasir Shah is the first-choice spinner who has picked up 116 wickets at 27.89 in 20 Tests.

Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad is Pakistan’s most successful batsman in Australia with 1797 runs in 25 matches. He hit six centuries and seven fifties, at an average of 47.29. For Australia former skipper Allan Border is the highest run-getter with 1666 runs in 22 Tests, including six hundreds and eight half-centuries at an average of 59.50.

Ex-spin magician Shane Warne is the most successful bowler with 90 wickets taken in 15 matches. Former captain Imran Khan took 64 wickets in 18 Tests.

So far 59 Test matches have been played between the two countries, 28 were won by Australia, Pakistan remained successful on 14 occasions.

Pakistan’s highest total in Australia is 624, scored at Adelaide in December 1983. Australia’s highest score on their soil is 585, at the same venue, in December 1972.

Pakistan were bowled out for 62 at Perth in November 1981. The Kangaroos’ lowest Test innings total against Pakistan was 97, at Brisbane in November 1995.