Hubris amid the debris. For all this week's huffing and puffing from Pakistan's coach, Richard Pybus, the third and final Test between Pakistan and Australia at Sharjah promises to be one of the most comprehensive routs ever witnessed. Of course, we have heard all this before, and where the notoriously volatile Pakistanis are concerned, we know full well to ignore such empirical evidence. But no team, surely, can bounce back from the type of drubbing that was handed out last week. For a team to crumble to 59 and 53 all out is bad enough. And generally speaking, the only possible direction from there would be up. But after daring to put up a fight in the first Test in Colombo, Pakistan have every reason to fear further punitive strikes this weekend. Not least because Australia, or rather the individuals who make up the team, have a great deal to prove, and one or two personal goals in sight as well.

Steve Waugh, for one, has made it clear that he wants to return home with a 3-0 clean sweep. But more importantly, he and his brother Mark need to make a big impression on this match. They are now 37 years old, and after mustering the grand total of two runs between them in their last four innings, the speculation is mounting that they are about to be put on the scrapheap ahead of November's Ashes series.

Such a move would no doubt be an intense psychological boost for England, but the Australian selectors are not generally moved by sentiment. Crucially for the Waughs, however, they have the support of their team-mates, with Ricky Ponting, Steve's likely successor as skipper, keen not to jump the gun: "It's a little bit harsh to judge Steve and Mark on what's happened in the first two games."

For Glenn McGrath, however, the incentive to perform in this match is of the carrot, rather than the stick, variety. He needs just four wickets in the course of the match to become the eighth bowler to take four hundred in Tests. Given his current form, and the fragility of Pakistan's batting line-up, few would bet against him. He may, of course, prefer to limit himself to three, and make Michael Vaughan's Ashes debut that little bit more memorable.

For Pakistan, there are few straws to be clutched. Shoaib Akhtar, the only man who has come close to denting the Australian self-esteem, has pulled out with a back strain, and joins a sick-and-otherwise-indisposed list that includes such luminaries as Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, Yousuf Youhana, Wasim Akram and Abdul Razzaq. Shoaib's place is likely to be taken by one of the Mohammads - Sami or Zahid - with Shahid Afridi earning a belated opportunity to test his boisterous personality with the best.

And for Pakistan's captain, Waqar Younis, a more competitive effort is imperative. "The youngsters are being exposed to top-level cricket, but I remain confident that the results will start coming soon," he said. "The target is not just to win the World Cup, but to prepare a nucleus of new players who can serve Pakistan cricket for the next 10 years. Whatever happened in the second Test cannot be reversed, but we know we have to come back with a far improved performance."

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