Three debutants set to mark new beginning of Australian cricket against Pakistan

Australian captain Tim Paine hopes his team will move on from the ball-tampering row and start a new era when they face Pakistan in the first Test in Dubai on Sunday.

Australian captain Tim Paine assured that his team has moved on from the ball-tampering episode and will look for a fresh beginning when Australia play their first series after the infamous incident in Cape Town in March, this year.

The fresh beginning will be marked by as many as many as three likely debutants in the first Test against Pakistan on Sunday. Opening batsman Aaron Finch will make his debut in place Cameron Bancroft while Usman Khawaja will move up in pace of David Warner. Both Warner and Bancroft along with captain Steve Smith were banned by Cricket Australia for their involvement in ball-tampering in Cape Town, which also led to coach Darren Lehmann stepping down and being replaced by Justin Langer

"I think what happened was unfortunate but we have to move on. We are fortunate enough to be getting back together after what happened," Paine said on Saturday.

Wicketkeeper Paine assumed the captaincy midway through the scandal-hit Cape Town match and took the first step to improve Australia's public image in the next Test at Johannesburg by introducing a pre-match handshake with the South African players.

Both teams will also shake hands ahead of the Dubai Test, with Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne being the other two to make their Test debuts for Australia, apart from Finch.

“It's a great opportunity for some new players, new coach, but still the Australian Test team hasn't changed. It's a little bit of a new era, but we are hopeful that the guys who were involved will be back in the next six or eight months," said Paine of the banned trio.

Australia face a trial by spin as has so often been the case on their tours to Asia.

In the space of six years, they have lost 12 of their 15 Tests -- recording only two wins with one draw -- on tours of India (twice), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates.

They lost 2-0 to Pakistan in the UAE in 2014, with Yasir Shah taking 12 wickets and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar, who is no longer in the international set-up, claiming 14.

"Yasir is clearly a world-class bowler who's got a phenomenal record at this ground in Dubai. We're going to have to take everything we've been working on," said Paine.

"We've faced a hell of a lot of spin, there's no doubt about that and Australian touring sides always do," said Paine.

Former Indian cricketer Sridharan Sriram, serving as a consultant with Australia, brought two Indian wrist-spinners, Pardeep Sahu and the left-arm KK Jiyas, to the UAE for net practice ahead of the Tests.

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed made clear he will attack Australia through Yasir.

"When we played Australia in 2014 we played some attacking cricket," said Sarfraz.        

"Yasir is our main bowler so we will want him to attack and get us wickets to win the series.

"But similarly we will not put extra pressure on him and will not want him to go in a defensive mode so other bowlers will have to support him." Pakistan will also have 33-year-old off-spinner Bilal Asif, who played three one-day internationals in 2015 but has yet to play a Test.

Recalled all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez could too prove dangerous for Australian left-handers.

The second Test is in Abu Dhabi starting on October 16. The teams will play three Twenty20 internationals after the Test series.

Teams:

Australia: Tim Paine (capt), Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc Pakistan (from): Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Azhar Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan, Bilal Asif, Mohammad Abbas, Wahab Riaz, Mir Hamza Umpires: Richard Illingworth (ENG) and Richard Kettleborough (ENG) TV umpire: Sundram Ravi (IND)