Previous Australia Test captains such as Steve Waugh and Greg Chappell have used a nine-man slips cordon, but Michael Clarke's creative field settings have gone a step beyond that on Thursday.
When pace bowler Peter Siddle set off to bowl in the post-lunch session against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, he had Mitchell Johnson standing right beside him in a direct line behind the umpire.
Siddle also had three short mid-wickets and two short covers in a lifeless pitch.
The only slip fielder for Siddle was Clarke himself at third slip, with no gully.
Clearly it was a good toss to win for Pakistan, who will attempt to bat for a couple of days and set up a draw for a one-nil series win after beating Australia by 221 runs in Dubai last week.
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