Melbourne: The Australian Cricketers’ Association is confident that all players selected for the month-long tour of Pakistan will have no objection to touring the country in March-April this year, the ACA chief executive said on Wednesday.
Australia will play three Tests, as many ODIs and one-off T20Is on the tour, starting with the first Test at the National Stadium in Karachi on March 3. This would be Australia’s first tour of Pakistan since 1998, when the team led by Mark Taylor won the three-Test series 1–0.
New Zealand had abandoned their limited overs tour of Pakistan in September last year. Later, England’s men’s and women’s teams also canceled their trip to Pakistan ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup to be held in the United Arab Emirates.
“I think everyone will go [to Pakistan]It is a very important tour with three Test matches. Speaking to the players, they want to test themselves against the best players in the world and they want to play in different conditions,” said ACA chief executive Todd Greenberg. its radio,
Read more: Wishes of Australian players wanting to go to Pakistan must be respected: ACA chief
“As Australians, it is our duty to continue to play cricket for the wider international sport” [overseas]We cannot expect teams to continue touring Australia and not make the same level of commitment to us. ,
Greenberg acknowledged that Australia’s absence from touring Pakistan over the past 24 years was related to the turmoil in the country, but added that Cricket Australia (CA) would do everything possible to ensure the highest security measures.
“We are not taking any risk and we are doing everything possible to save not only the players but their families. We will take a really strong team and the players will take advantage of that opportunity.”
Australia, after completing the Ashes at home with a 4-0 series win against England led by Joe Root, are now focusing on the tour of Pakistan, which is crucial for several key members of the Australian team, including Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja. ,
Labuschagne is currently the world’s No. 1 Test batsman but has yet to play a Test in the subcontinent, while Khawaja looks to show his centuries in both innings of the fourth Ashes Test in Sydney were not a flash. Kadhai. ,
The Pakistan Test series could also open the door for leg-spinner Mitch Swepson to make his debut in the longest format.
Published in Dawn, January 20, 2022