Australian all-rounder Steve Smith, who is one of a few players playing all formats for the national team, has cautioned his side not to take Pakistan lightly in the absence of their ace spinner Saeed Ajmal who is currently suspended from the game over an illegal bowling action.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned the 36-year-old Ajmal last week after biomechanic tests revealed all his deliveries breached the permissible limit for straightening of the elbow joint.
"It's always nice to play against the best players in the world and he's been the number one spinner in the world for sometime now. But I think in the aspect of trying to winning the game, I think it's nice to not have him [Ajmal] out there," Smith said.
The 25-year-old, who started his Australian career as a specialist spinner, said Pakistan had enough depth in the spin department to still trouble them.
"They've still got a quality side..they've got some other good spinners and we have to be at our best to beat them in their backyard I guess."
The Australians are expecting to confront the same sort of slow, spin-friendly pitches that proved their undoing in Zimbabwe when they land in the UAE at the end of September. Smith and the other batsmen are simulating conditions at home they are likely to come against in a bid to prepared for Pakistan spin assault.
According to Pakistan's former Test spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, remedial work on Ajmal's action could take about a month. Raza Hasan, Yasir Shah and Adnan Rasool have emerged as possible candidates to partner up with either Zulfiqar Babar or Abdur Rehman, both left-arm orthodox spinners, in the absence of Ajmal.
