Cummins stumped at first major Test selection

Australian captain Pat Cummins is unsure what the team will look like for the first Test against Pakistan in less than 24 hours.

The Aussies kick off their first tour of Pakistan since 1998 with a Test match at Rawalpindi on Friday, beginning 4pm AEDT.

Since assuming the captaincy role at the beginning of the summer, Cummins has made a habit of revealing the playing XI at his press conference the day before the match.

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But when asked by journalists today, Cummins didn't have a line-up ready.

"We're pretty sure but we just want to have another look at the wicket, which we probably won't get the chance today," Cummins said in Pakistan.

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"Later this arvo, we'll work out the exact XI, or tomorrow morning.

"But two spinners (or) three quicks, we have a fair idea of what we want to do but don't want to make the call too early without fully knowing what the wicket is."

The Aussies have not been able to see the Rawalpindi wicket since Tuesday, due to rain cancelling today's pre-match training session.

Cummins and the selectors are tossing up whether to pick two specialist spin bowlers.

Nathan Lyon is considered an automatic selection, but Australia also took leggie Mitchell Swepson and left-arm orthodox bowler Ashton Agar, who both turn the ball away from the right-hander.

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As for the quicks, Cummins is a certain selection, and his fellow pacemen Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will both start unless Australia needs to drop one of them to accommodate a second spinner.

"Stats seem to favour fast bowlers here," Cummins said.

"It looks like a good wicket, so I don't think it's going to be seaming or swinging all over the place but I think there's going to be enough there."

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