Hughes says reverse swing 'as big a threat as spin' after Oz's 153-run loss to Pak 'A'

Australia's top-order batsman Phillip Joel Hughes has conceded that reverse swing is as big a threat as quality spin bowling after they lost their only warm-up match against Pakistan 'A' by a whopping 153-runs in Sharjah on Saturday.

Australia, chasing 339 to win were bowled out for 185 in their second innings with paceman Mohammad Talha, who delivered match figures of 3 for 32, and left-arm spinner Raza Hasan, giving 3 for 60, destroying Australia's plans for some useful practice.

Pakistan 'A' had made 305-8 declared and 306-3 declared in their two innings. Australia had made 273-8 declared in their first knock, The Dawn reported.

Hughes, who was the top scorer for Australia with 65, said that going forward they are going to know spin is going to play a big part as well as reverse swing, adding that it was probably what got him out. He said that when the quicks came back on for their second spell, that is when the ball started reversing.

Hughes said that that is probably the toughest challenge for the middle-order batsmen. He added that when one is batting out there the ball slowly, gradually starts reversing.

Hughes promised a different showing in the Tests, saying that it is good to see Pakistan 'A' going out there and performing well, but added that it is going to be a different story and a different pressure in a Test match.