Pakistan make sweeping changes to team

Kamran dropped Mike Hussey on three occasions and Peter Siddle once during the last Test in Sydney as the pair shared in a record 123-run partnership for the ninth wicket as Australia turned a 206-run deficit on first innings into an incredible 36-run victory.

Kamran has been replaced by debutant Sarfraz Ahmed while his younger brother - exciting teenage batsman Umar Akmal - will play in Hobart after reports earlier in the week he had attempted to feign injury in protest at the axing of his brother.

The other changes to the Pakistan team are the return of former skipper Shoaib Malik in place of Misbah-ul-Haq at six, while Khurram Manzoor, who has played six Tests, will bat at three in place of Faisal Iqbal.

And left-arm quick Mohammad Aamer also returns after missing the Sydney Test due to injury with Mohammad Sami the player to make way.

Despite making four changes, skipper Mohammad Yousuf today maintained all was well inside the Pakistan camp as he insisted that Kamran - who as vice-captain is part of the four-man touring selection panel - was being rested for the Hobart Test.

"We're just giving him rest, nothing else," Yousuf said.

"He is a very senior player and he has done a lot for Pakistan over the last seven or eight years so we're just giving him a rest."

When asked when Kamran would return to the team, Yousuf said "soon".

Pakistan team manager Abdul Raquib did his best to put an end to speculation over Kamran's omission with the tourists clearly tired of their choice of wicketkeeper overshadowing their build-up to the third Test.

"The matter is settled," Raquib said.
"We don't want any talk on this any more - Sarfraz is playing and Kamran is not."

Yousuf said Sarfraz, 22, who has played eight one-day internationals for Pakistan, would acquit himself well behind the stumps.

"He is a good young player and a good wicketkeeper," he said.

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting admitted today he did not know what to expect from Pakistan.

"I don't know what is happening this week to tell the truth - there are all sorts of things going on at the moment," he said.

"I will wait and see at the toss tomorrow what 11 players they have actually got in the team sheet and that is all we can worry about."

Ponting said his team "haven't spoken at all" about Pakistan's problems in the build-up to the third Test but the Australia skipper has seen enough of the tourists this summer to know not to underestimate them.

"At different times they have played some good cricket," Ponting said.

"They would be very happy with the way they played in the first three days (in Sydney) and they should be because they played some good cricket so we can't let them into this game like we did in Sydney.

"But there is still a lot of mystery about them because we don't know what is going to happen with the team this week but we know they have got a number of dangerous players that can turn games quickly so it's our job to make sure they don't get too much free rein."