Pakistan recall Abbas for second Test after Gabba horror show

Pakistan has recalled pacer Mohammad Abbas after suffering an innings defeat in the first Test at the hands of Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Mohammad Abbas' omission from the opening clash in Brisbane, where Pakistan was crushed by an innings and five runs, came as a surprise to most.

Pakistan is set to recall paceman Mohammad Abbas Thursday for the second Test against Australia as it looks to add consistency to its bowling attack under lights at Adelaide Oval.

Skipper Azhar Ali will also drop down the order to bat at number three in the day-night Test starting Friday, with Imam-ul-Haq set to get the nod to open the innings alongside Shan Masood and Haris Sohail dropped.

Seamer Abbas has taken 66 wickets at just 18.86 in his 14 Tests but was a surprise omission for the opening clash in Brisbane, where Pakistan was crushed by an innings and five runs.

“Definitely there will be some changes,” Azhar said of the team line-up, which will be announced on Friday. Asked if Abbas would be one of those changes, he replied: “Yes.”

“He’s (Abbas) done well in Test matches, he can definitely bring a lot of control and he has worked a lot since the last Test match on his rhythm and he is feeling better,” he said.

“Obviously a bowler of his class, you feel he has something to offer.”

Azhar would not say who Abbas would replace, but Imran Khan is a candidate after failing to fire in Brisbane. Naseem Shah, 16, could also be rested with Pakistan keen to manage the workload of the teenager, whose mother died recently.

It will be facing an Australian team that has won all five of its pink-ball matches and with David Warner, Joe Burns and Marnus Labuschagne in fine form after big scores at the Gabba.

Azhar acknowledged Pakistan has  long laboured in Australia, with its inability to bowl the opposition out twice being its biggest problem.

“A lot of our tours to Australia we have struggled to pick up wickets. We have to control the rate, bowl in good areas for a long time,” he said.

“Wickets in Australia, a lot of people say it is bounce, it is pace. But equally it is good for batting as well, so if you can’t bowl well for a long period of time, you can’t put teams under pressure.”

He added: “If we want to pick up 20 wickets we have to execute our plan perfectly.”

Pakistan has played one pink-ball fixture in Australia -- three years ago in Brisbane, when it lost by 39 runs.