Pakistan's chance to end the drought

Pakistan haven't yet won a Test series in Australia, and have lost the last six in a row, but they'll feel they have a reasonable chance of arresting that sequence in the three-Test series that gets underway in Melbourne on Boxing Day. Australia have blanked Pakistan 3-0 in their last two series in Australia - their last nine Tests here have all produced results - but Australia have been less dominant of late, and the venues for the matches - Sydney and Hobart are the other two - are expected to suit Pakistan.

It's been 14 years since Pakistan won a Test in Australia - they haven't won since Sydney in 1995 - but even that was in a dead rubber after Australia had won the first two matches and sealed the series. The last time Pakistan triumphed when a series was still alive was way back in 1979, in Melbourne, in a match made famous for Sarfraz Nawaz's haul of 9 for 86 in the second innings. During the three-year period between 1979 and 1981 Pakistan won twice at the MCG, but since then they've lost two out of three. (Click here for the full list.)

As you'd expect of a team which has been utterly dominant through most of the last two decades, Australia have a superb record at this ground. They've won eight out of nine Tests in the 2000s, with their only defeat coming in their most recent outing, against South Africa in the Boxing Day Test last year. Since 1990, Australia have a win-loss ratio of five, which is next only to Brisbane among their five regular Test venues. The other aspect that stands out is the number of decisive results this ground has produced - the last 11 Tests have all had a winner, and the last draw came way back in 1997.

Among the Australian batsmen in the current squad who've played more than a Test here, Ricky Ponting has by far the best record, while Michael Hussey has struggled. In 22 innings Ponting has eight innings of 50 or more, including 101 and 99 in his most recent Test here, against South Africa. Hussey, on the other hand, has one 50-plus score in four Tests, and it came in his very first innings here, against South Africa in 2005. Since then, his six innings read 31, 6, 2, 36, 0, 2.

Among the Pakistan players in the current squad, only Mohammad Yousuf has played more than three Tests in Australia. His average in 12 innings is a modest 33, but it includes a majestic 111 at the MCG the last time he played here, in 2004, a match in which he also led the side. Salman Butt impressed on that tour, scoring 225 runs including a hundred and a 70, but Kamran Akmal, who was in such splendid form with the bat in New Zealand, has some catching up to do - in six innings he has managed only 77 runs.

Both bowling attacks are fairly inexperienced and haven't bowled much in Melbourne, but recent stats show that both fast bowlers and spinners have enjoyed the conditions here. Fast bowlers have a better average and strike rate, but spinners have had success too. The two five-fors by spinners belong to legspinners Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill, which suggests conditions might suit Danish Kaneria too.

The team batting first has won four out of nine Tests since 2000, but the captain winning the toss has batted first seven times out of nine. The average runs per wicket in each innings indicates there is little to choose between batting first and putting in the opposition. Whatever the captain opts for, there's a high likelihood of a result at the end of five days.