Cummins wins toss, Australia bat in Karachi test v Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan : Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat in the second test against Pakistan at Karachi's National Stadium on Saturday.

Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson makes his test debut joining Nathan Lyon in Australia's two-man spin attack with Josh Hazlewood sitting out.

"Mitch has been around the squad for many years now. We're pumped for him," Cummins said at the toss.

"Looks like a really good wicket...Our job now is to bat big."

Pakistan welcomed back all-rounder Faheem Ashraf and paceman Hasan Ali after both missed the opening test with injuries.

Iftikhar Ahmed and Naseem Shah were left out.

"It's a typical Karachi pitch, later on it will help the spinners," Pakistan captain Babar Azam said.

The opening test in Rawalpindi, Australia's first in Pakistan in 24 years, had ended in a dull draw after a five-day run-feast on a track which earned a "below average" rating from the match referee.

Teams:

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (captain), Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi

Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Lyon

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Michael Perry)