13 July,2010 04:24 PM IST | | Agencies
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi won the toss and elected to field against Australia in the first Test at Lord's here on Tuesday.
Pakistan, beaten 3-0 in Australia in a Test series concluded in January, gave debuts to 25-year-old right handed batsman Azhar Ali and 20-year-old left-handed batsman Umar Amin.
The duo got their chance after Pakistan came to England without senior Test batsmen Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan after the former captains were suspended for disciplinary reasons following the Australia tour.
Australia gave debuts to wicketkeeper Tim Paine, in after Brad Haddin was ruled out of the tour with an elbow injury, and leg-spinner Steven Smith.
The inclusion of Paine, alongside captain and star batsman Ponting and seamer Ben Hilfenhaus meant Tasmania had three players in an Australia Test side for the first time.
Rain and overcast conditions, which should suit Pakistan's seam attack, delayed the scheduled start of this match by at least 90 minutes, with play now due to get underway at 12pm local time (1100GMT).
The match was leg-spinning all-rounder Afridi's first Test in four years.
This was the first of a two-Test series being played in England because top-class international cricket in Pakistan was effectively suspended following the armed attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March last year.
It also represented the first time a 'neutral' Test had been played in England since the 1912 triangular tournament where Australia and South Africa, along with England, made up the competing teams.
Pakistan: Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi (capt), Kamran Akmal (wkt), Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Danish Kaneria
Australia: Shane Watson, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Tim Paine (wkt), Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger
Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Rudi Koertzen (RSA)
TV umpire: Ahsan Raza (PAK)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
