Melbourne -  Pakistan are "comfortable" with their selection of Sohail Khan for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, despite Mickey Arthur's comments during the first Test in Brisbane that he had doubts about the bowler's endurance levels.

Pakistan made one change to their XI from Brisbane, picking Sohail in place of Rahat Ali. That may have come as a surprise to those who heard Arthur's comments on ABC radio during the first Test, made, incidentally, in defense of the pace attack selected for that game.

"Sohail Khan comes in and swings it right arm, but I've got a doubt about Sohail's comebackability," Arthur had said at the time. "If he has got to bowl, his first spell's very good, his second spell's okay, his third spell is tough and then you just don't get anything more. That puts a lot of pressure on our other units."

Pakistan decided to go with Sohail's potential impact with the new ball over Imran Khan's sturdier, more energetic presence. Arthur said Sohail had made an impression during training since they arrived in Melbourne - Sohail missed the first day with an upset stomach - but stopped short of u-turning on his earlier assessment.

"He has bowled beautifully," Arthur said. "He has trained exceptionally, that's all I can say. I don't know if you've seen him lately, he has lost seven-eight kilos, he's the first guy in the gym at six in the morning. He does his training, he bowls two-three spells in the nets every day. He has been excellent and I sort of doff my cap to him because he has been outstanding, almost been a model professional for us over the last month or so.

"Time will tell though. He knows exactly what the concerns are around him. We're comfortable we have picked what we think is the best attack. It just gives us a little bit more balance. He has swung the ball nicely. He's a right-armer. On this wicket you don't want to give too many areas for Nathan Lyon to bowl so we wanted to keep one right-armer to attack," the head coach said.

Arthur pointed to the many positives in selecting Sohail. "Sohail Khan's ability has never been in doubt. He swings the ball and bowls at a good pace. He is a very, very fine bowler. "And what I said in the [ABC] interview was a fact - that we have concerns around him coming back - but there are so many positives about him. He swings the ball at a good pace and he is a real trier. So I am comfortable that he has done everything we wanted him to do and the proof of the pudding is going to be in how he performs."

Head Coach wants YounUs,

Misbah to stay

Misbah-ul-Haq and Younus Khan have earned the right to decide when to leave the game, according to Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur. The senior batsmen were dismissed in the space of five overs on a rain-shortened first day of the Boxing Day Test, leaving Pakistan on 142 for 4 when play was stopped shortly before tea.

"Only they would know [what the future holds]," Arthur said. "But we back them massively in the dressing room. That's all I can say. Ultimately they will decide when they think the time is right. "But within our dressing room they are held in such high esteem and we back them every time they go out and play. There's no doubt in our dressing room about Younis and Misbah.

Arthur said the pair had earned the right to go when they felt it was time. "One's been an inspirational leader for the last six years and the other guy is closing in on 10,000 Test runs. They've earned the right in a massive way. And again the esteem they are held in within the dressing room is second to none."

Arthur said, in an ideal world, he would want them to stagger their exits so that the impact on younger batsmen in the side can be more carefully managed. The pair has had a significant influence on the progress on more junior partners, including Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.

"Yeah, I mean in an ideal world, you will," Arthur said about staggering their exits. "But ultimately that decision rests with them. They've earned the right so if they want to continue, fantastic, because that's what we want as a cricket team. If they don't, we feel we are starting to make enough ground in terms of bringing other players through.

"I want to reiterate there's no doubt surrounding those two whatsoever. They are still model professionals and they train, they are fit, they practice and they are inspirational around the dressing room. The longer they can be around that dressing room the better it is for the Sami Aslams, the Babar Azams, the Azhar Alis, the Sharjeels, the young guys who are with us."