Injuries, a chucking ban and Shahid Afridi’s feud with the board give the general impression Pakistan are in chaos ahead of their two-Test cricket series against Australia.

Saeed Ajmal’s suspension has robbed Pakistan of their strike bowler. And Pakistan’s batting in last week’s one-day series, which Australia won three-nil, was patchy.

However Asad Shafiq’s patient and unbeaten knock of 108 in Pakistan A’s 8-305 on day one of their four-day game against Australia in Sharjah was a ray of light.

“When you score a hundred against bowling like Australia have, you really feel confident,” the 28-Test veteran told reporters on Wednesday.

“Coming into the Test matches, this will help a lot.

“There was something for their spinners so I applied myself.”

Australia’s spinners Steve O’Keefe (3-76) and Nathan Lyon (0-68) experienced mixed fortunes.

O’Keefe says he’s hoping to win a Test debut in Dubai on October 22 as a slow-bowling partner for Lyon and Shafiq says the pitch is likely to favour the spinners.

“As we play in the past in Dubai, there is a help for the spinner in the Dubai wicket and I am expecting that,” Shafiq said.

The Sharjah pitch didn’t offer much for the quicks, as they may have deduced from the sign outside the ground which says “Graveyard”.

But Shafiq, who hit 13 fours and four sixes off 156 deliveries, says it wasn’t easy for him either and patience was vital.

“Considering the ODIs where we didn’t give good account of ourselves, it was double important for me to bat and get some confidence,” the 28-year-old veteran of 28 Tests said.

“I put myself in the Test scenario because the bowlers will be the same in Tests.

“This hundred is good for my self-confidence.”

Afridi is calling on the board to decide whether he or Misbah-ul-Haq will captain the one-day side for the 2015 World Cup.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan said Afridi’s comment was “irresponsible” and added Misbah is the skipper.