With Australia sealing the series in Sydney, the final Test may have lost a bit of edge, but while it may be a dead rubber, there is still plenty to play for for men in both camps.

Scattered amidst two demoralising defeats, Pakistan have showed glimpses of brilliance. Unfortunately these moments have been heavily interspersed with horror show-esque play. The challenge for Pakistan in Hobart - and going forward - will be to bury the Jekell and Hyde tendencies that plague them and develop some consistency.

Having changed more than a third of their team from Sydney, consistency is not the word that springs to mind, but some of the changes do exude a positive response.

Much of the pre-match build-up has revolved around under-performing wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal. Having dropped four catches in the Australian second innings last time out, it comes as no surprise that the experienced gloveman has got the boot, with youngster Sarfraz Ahmed the man to replace him.

Mohammad Aamer makes a return to the side, having missed the second Test due to injury. The youngster's talent and exuberance will be a welcome boost for Mohammad Yousuf's men and alongside with Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul, the Pakistanis boast an impressive pace line-up.

But it's not Pakistani's bowling that is Yousuf's biggest concern at the moment. The skipper has suggested that the team carries a Twenty20 mentality in to Tests, and that this is evident in the batsmen's failure to convert starts into big scores.

"These guys are all young and if you look at their averages they are also low. All of us are in good form, but we need to score 350-odd then our bowling is good enough to get them," explained Yousuf.

Such reasoning was lost on Yousuf's counterpart Ricky Ponting, who responded to the comments by stating: "It depends who they pick, doesn't it? They're picking strokeplayers and dashers. They don't have to pick those guys in their side.

"I think that might be a bit of a, not an excuse, but they've only got a couple of batsmen in their line-up who you'd really say are more suited to the shorter forms of the game. We're probably the same, we've got guys like Haddin and Watson that have started their careers in the shorter forms of the game and turned themselves into Test players," the Australian added.

Indeed, Watson has been the stand-out player of the Australian summer, amassing 579 runs at an average of 72.37 in the five Tests he has played over this period.

But while Watson has flourished, the likes of Michael Clarke, Marcus North and Ponting himself have struggled. Each of the three have managed only two 50s this summer, and while Clarke and Ponting will have time to regain their form, North may not get the chance to do so if he fails to score in Hobart.

Luckily for the 30-year-old - and the entire Pakistan top-order - the Bellerive Oval pitch is expected to be a batsmen's track, with runs fairly easily to come by.

Key Players:

Australia: Tasmanian-born Ricky Ponting will be looking to end his indifferent run of form on his home turf. The Australian skipper is undoubtedly a classy player, and while the pull has proved troublesome for him of late, it's also a shot that has heralded many runs for him. Expect the shot to be used in Hobart, and with great success.

Pakistan Ironically the Bellerive Oval is one of the few places Kamran Akmal has flourished during this tour, notching up a hundred during a warm-up game against Tasmania. But with Akmal sidelined, Sarfraz Ahmed will get a chance to prove his worth. By all accounts a more reliable wicketkeeper than Akmal but not as flash with the bat, Ahmed will make his debut knowing it will be tough to do any worse than his predecessor.

Prediction

Australia are not a team that rest on their laurels. They will not consider the job complete until a series whitewash has been achieved. As such, Pakistan will have to be at their best - consistently - if they're to grab a morale-boasting win, but don't bet on that happening. Australia for the win.

Last Five Head-To-Head Results

2010: Second Test: Australia won by 36 runs in Sydney
2009: First Test: Australia won by 170 runs in Melbourne
2005: Third Test: Australia won by nine wickets in Sydney
2004: Second Test: Australia won by nine wickets in Melbourne
2004: First Test: Australia won by 491 runs in Perth

Likely Starting XIs:

Australia: Shane Watson, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Marcus North, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger.

Pakistan Imran Farhat, Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Yousuf, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Asif

Umpires: Asoka de Silva and Rudi Koertzen, Billy Doctrove (third umpire)
Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle

Dates: 14-18 January; First Session: 10:30-12:30 (23:30 (previous day)-1:30 GMT), Afternoon Session: 13:10-15:10 (2:10-4:10 GMT), Evening Session: 15:30-17:30 (4:30-6:30 GMT)

Julia Harris