Australia arrive for first tour in 24 years

ISLAMABAD: The Australian cricket team, headed by skipper Patrick James Cummins, reached Pakistan Sunday night after a long gap of 24 years.

Australia team last visited Pakistan in November 1998. They last played in Pakistan in 1998, winning the three-Test series 1-0 and blanking the hosts in the three one-day internationals.

Test schedule:

March 4-8 — First Test, Rawalpindi March 12-16 — Second Test, Karachi March 21-25 — Third Test, Lahore

During the tour, the Aussie men will take on Green Shirts in three Test matches, the same number of One Day International (ODIs) and one T20. The first match of the Test series will begin on March 4 in Rawalpindi. It will be followed by Tests in Karachi and Lahore before three ODIs and a single T20, all in Rawalpindi.

Senior batsman Steve Smith posted a picture on Twitter of the 35-strong Australia tour party inside their charter flight’s cabin after it touched down in the capital, Islamabad.

Pakistan have struggled to attract visiting sides since a fatal terror attack on the visiting Sri Lanka team’s bus in 2009. Australia pulled out of a tour five years earlier after a suicide blast at a Lahore church.

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The decisions incensed Pakistan cricket authorities, who felt they had done everything possible to ensure safety and security.

Those who arrived in Pakistan Sunday include Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and others. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials welcomed the players upon arrival at the Islamabad International Airport.

Pakistan squad:

Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, and Zahid Mahmood.

Australia squad

Cricket Australia has already announced an 18-member Test squad.

Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, and David Warner.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022