Australia could play a T20I match in Pakistan: Report

The Australian cricket team could visit Pakistan for a Twenty20 match in the coming months as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) increased contacts with the Australian counterpart in order to pave the path for a future bilateral series on home soil.

“CA has no immediate plans to complete a full tour of Pakistan but there could be the opportunity for a ‘fly in, fly out’ Twenty20 match. That could see Australia based in Dubai but make a 90-minute flight on a private jet to Karachi, play a match that night, then immediately return to Dubai,” reported the Sydney Morning Herald.

The report states that the development comes as Cricket Australia chief Kevin Roberts visits the country in September, although it didn’t give any timeframe regarding when the match would take place.

Earlier, in January the Australian cricket captain Aaron Finch has said that he is open to playing cricket in Pakistan if the Australian cricketing board gives the green signal.

“The passion their fans have got and just the amount of fans ... (there are) some pretty empty stadiums in the UAE. Anytime there’s cricket back in Pakistan, they’re swinging from the rafters to get a seat.”

Similar views were expressed by fellow top order batsman Usman Khawaja as well.

The Australian last toured Pakistan in 1998 for three Tests and three one-day internationals.