Pakistan bat first in opener against Aust

Australia have been asked to bowl first on their return to Pakistan, after electing to stick with three quicks and go without a second spinner in the first Test in Rawalpindi.

Captain Pat Cummins confirmed he had stuck with the traditional attack for the series opener, after Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and chose to bat.

A fit-again Josh Hazlewood has returned in place of Scott Boland, while Mitchell Swepson's wait for a Test debut has been extended on a pitch devoid of grass.

Pakistan have meanwhile gone with two spinners with Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan.

While sub-continental pitches have historically favoured spinners, quicks have had far more joy since the return of Test cricket to Pakistan in 2019.

The Rawalpindi Test marks a significant moment in world cricket, with Australia's first tour of Pakistan their first since 1998.

Only Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa have played Test cricket in the country in the past 12 years.

It also marks Australia's first Test since the resignation of coach Justin Langer, with Andrew McDonald taking over on an interim basis after an Ashes summer of speculation.

Australia have not won a Test series in Asia for more than a decade.

AUSTRALIA: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

PAKISTAN: Imam Ul Haq, Abdullah Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (capt), Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi.