When does it start?
The first Test starts at the Dubai International Sports Stadium on Wednesday from 5pm (AEDT)
How can I follow?
Television coverage on Fox Sports 1 starts from 4.30pm (AEDT) and finishes just after midnight.
Visit Sportal's cricket page for all the latest reports and reaction
Luxbet odds
First Test result
Pakistan $5.75. Australia $1.67. Draw $3.40.
The talking point 
Stephen O'Keefe is expected to make his Test debut along with Mitch Marsh. Photo: Getty
Left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe and pace-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Marsh are both expected to don the baggy green for the first on Wednesday.
However, Tasmanian all-rounder James Faulkner will remain with the squad as cover for Marsh, who still recovering from a hamstring strained in the T20 Champions League.
Aussie skipper Michael Clarke is also battling a hamstring problem but is expected to be fit.
Happy birthday @mitchmarsh235 . Got a feeling it could be a good week for the big fella
— Marcus Harris (@MarcusHarris8) October 20, 2014Australia's weapons
While the Dubai humidity will be uncomfortable for players, Mitchell Johnson will hope it also boosts reverse swing. Photo: Getty
Steve Smith is the form batsman of the team. He fired in the ODI series and made a polished 58 before retiring in the first innings in the Sharjah warm-up match.
Smith uses his feet against the spinners more productively than any Aussie batsman, and his weakness against bouncy pace bowling should not exist on this tour.
In terms of bowling, left-arm pace duo MItchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc will make life tough for Pakistan's batsman, especially if the humidity aids reverse swing.
Pakistan match-winners 
Leg spinner Zulfiqar Babar will front a dangerous Pakistan spin attack in the two-Test series starting Wednesday. Photo: Getty
Off spinner Saaed Ajmal has taken a third of Pakistan's Test wickets in the UAE with 67 in 12 starts.
Lucky for Australia, Ajmal was recently barred from bowling in international cricket because of his illegal action.
Australia must still contend with left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar and funky leg spinner Yasir Shah who will both have tricks up the sleeve.
Part-timer Mohammad Hafeez will also extract plenty of turn.
Needs a big Test match....
Opening batsman Chris Rogers is coming off another stellar winter playing County Cricket however the relentless spin-bowling threat will be a tough challenge for the veteran left-hander.
Fellow Victorian Peter Siddle has undergone strength and conditioning work during the off-season to address his dwindling pace.
He was zippy during the warm-up match but could be targeted if the Test match wicket offers him nothing.
Conditions and pitch
Couple of goats doing some close-in fielding at Sharjah #PAKvAUS #cricket pic.twitter.com/rJ9aqlIVpa
— Dave Middleton (@Dave_Middleton) October 18, 2014Pakistan officials know Australia's strength is fast bowling, and its weakness is batting against spin..... As the home team, Pakistan will order a spin-friendly dust bowl.
However it is an interesting sidenote that Melbourne's Tony Hemming is the head curator at the Dubai International Stadium.
The reverse swing on offer during the warm-up match, and supposedly in the Test match, will encourage the Aussie pace attack.
The forecast for the entire Test is for temperatures in the high 30s with stifling humidity.
Pakistan squad
Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Shan Masood, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Talha, Rahat Ali, Imran Khan, Ehsan Adil, Sarfraz Ahmed, Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah
Australia squad
Michael Clarke (captain), Alex Doolan, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve O'Keefe, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner
Prediction
Fresh off a six-month break from Test cricket, Australia enter this two-match series as clear favourites. That's despite the 153-run defeat against Pakistan A in the four-day tour match in Sharjah.
How relevant is last year's 4-0 whitewash in India?
There's is no doubt conditions will favour Pakistan, just as they suited India in 2013. But the real indefinite is how Australia deals with dead-wicket Test matches in the Darren Lehmann era.
Predicting a Test result based on likely pitch conditions is fraught with danger, especially when nobody has seen for themselves how that wicket behaves.
It is Australia which has the firepower in this matchup and will Lehmann's team should have the resolve to come out on top.