Peter Siddle, Australia pacer, has admitted that the team is wary of the spin challenge at hand in the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan and keeping leggie Yasir Shah at bay would be their No. 1 target in order to achieve success.
"He's (Yasir) going to play a big part," Siddle said on Tuesday (September 25). "Spin bowling in this series is going to play a massive part. I think it's going to be a tough contest. He bowled well against us last series over here. He took a lot of wickets, so I think it's going to be number one plan to keep him out."
Yasir played a massive role in Pakistan's 2-0 win the last time Australia had toured UAE - in 2015 - picking up 12 wickets at an average of 17.25.
However, this time around, it is not just Yasir but also the threat of young leggie Shadab Khan that will have to be countered. Australia have been preparing extensively for the spin challenge. After a couple of camps in Brisbane and an A series in India, where several of their squad players were involved, they are in Dubai for pre-series training. S Sriram, their spin bowling coach, has roped in two Indian spinners - legspinner Pardeep Sahu and slow left-armer K Jiyas - to aid them in their preparation.
Siddle believes they have had an ideal preparation for the two-match series. "I think in the past we've come into series, worked hard on spin but not specifically on what they're bowling, the deliveries they bowl and the cues to watch as a batter," he said. "We've been lucky enough to get a couple of guys come in that are very good spin bowlers. I think the big focus is they've got two star legspinners, Yasir Shah who we've played before, a great player, and Shadab Khan, who's been playing and we expect to line up.
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