Pakistan’s cricketers, who face England in the third Royal London One-Day International at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, have received glowing praise from Nottinghamshire & Australia’s Peter Siddle.
The next action for Mickey Arthur’s men after the UK is down under – and Siddle is anticipating a fearsome contest.
"Pakistan have surprised us over the last 12 months or so, they've started playing some consistent cricket," he said.
"They've got some star players but they've been a lot more consistent with the sides they're putting out there – they're not chopping and changing and I think that's where they've missed out in the past.
"At the moment it looks like they've got a pretty settled group of 13, 14 players that they go with.
“With a couple of injuries to bowlers, they've had bowlers come in and perform well, so that's exciting for them.
"I think their squad will be suited to Australian conditions, probably more so than in the past.
"They've got explosive players who can take the game away from you, and they've got a good assortment of quicks at the moment.
"They've actually got some fast bowlers that will be able to make it work on the wickets out here, and put us under a bit of pressure, so that's a big challenge for us."
Pakistan’s 2-2 draw in the red ball format against England took them to number one in the world rankings – an ascent that has impressed Siddle, who is currently on the comeback trail following the injury that caused him to miss the current county season.
"I think people probably didn't think that much about Pakistan coming out here this summer, but you look at their performances in England on wickets, not quite the same as here, but similar, and they've played well," he said.
"So with South Africa for three Tests, and Pakistan for three Tests, it's a big summer for us and one where we have to play some good cricket to get back that number one mantle.
"They've got a class spinner, Yasir Shah, he's unbelievable.
“He's got a great record and he's approaching 100 wickets at the quickest rate.
"The great Shane Warne has worked with him a little bit and has talked up how good he is.
"Then you've got the old heads, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan just hold that middle-order together."
Trent Bridge will host an Investec Test Match between England and South Africa, and a Royal London One-Day International visit from the West Indies, in 2017.
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