A win 'will be massive, especially for this side' – Tim Paine
The visitors pulled off a thrilling draw against Sarfraz Ahmed's side in Dubai in the first Test, with Paine himself playing a leading role with a defiant 194-ball 61* in the fourth innings.
It put them on the cusp of something special in the two-match series, and Paine said it was an opportunity to "prove people wrong".
Are Australia going to lean on three pacers in the second #PAKvAUS Test?
There's a reason Tim Paine is tempted!
➡️ https://t.co/CrBEUz3952 pic.twitter.com/MeB1lnp2cT
— ICC (@ICC) October 15, 2018
"It'd be a massive thing for any Australian side, and for this one in particular," he said. "I touched on it last week that not many people gave us a chance over here, which is a great opportunity for us to prove people wrong and a great thing to keep driving us.
"We're trying to get better every day, and if we manage to play our best next week maybe that is possible. But we've got to turn up for a really tough match, it's going to last five days and we've got to be on for all of those five days and every session."
As impressive as Australia's batsmen were in Dubai, Paine said a few modifications would be considered. "Top six will be the same as the last Test," he said. "We may consider tweaking the batting order. I know guys had their individual meetings yesterday and all that stuff was discussed."
The pressure is on hosts Pakistan as Australia target a rare series win in Asia when the second Test begins in Abu Dhabi tomorrow.#PAKvAUS PREVIEW 👇https://t.co/TnIUdqMAgp pic.twitter.com/QuOSOm9gSF
— ICC (@ICC) October 15, 2018
That said, while Australia pulled a rabbit out of the hat to deny Pakistan victory in the first Test, they were outplayed in multiple sessions – their skipper is well aware of that. "Last week when we dropped the ball a little bit for a session, the game can be taken away from you really quickly here," he said.
"We've got to take it, as boring as it is, a day at a time, a session at a time, and if we do that, we know we'll be right in it at the end.
"The wicket actually looks a bit different to what we were expecting. There's a fair bit of grass on it but we'll come back and take another look later. The square has a lot of grass on it. We might not see as much (reverse swing) which will be good for us and bad for us.
'We've got to turn up for a really tough match, it's going to last five days and we've got to be on for all of those five days and every session' – Paine
"Looking at it now you would think if that was in Australia, you would be playing three fast bowlers. But with the heat around the next 24 hours, I'm sure it'll change pretty quickly."
As for himself, Paine says he has found a routine to get the best out of himself, including practising with a golf ball. "Probably in the last 12 or 18 months I've probably been as fit as I've ever been," he said.
"My wicket-keeping, to be honest, hasn't changed too much. I keep that pretty simple. I do a lot of work at home by myself with a golf ball and I just find that that's been the best way for me to prepare.
"I keep my wicket-keeping pretty simple"
"It's a good way to just make sure that I'm getting myself in good positions. I've wicket-kept a lot over the years so I know if my body and head are in a good position. I'll catch more than I drop. That's just been the focus for me.
"I think in England one thing I learned was I probably trained too hard and tried too hard. I was getting into games quite mentally worn out I guess. I was using quite a lot of energy even when I wasn't at the cricket. So it's just being able to relax a little bit more and not train as hard."
The second and final Test between Pakistan and Australia starts on Tuesday, 16 October.