ISLAMABAD: For the first time in 24 years, the Australian cricket team, led by skipper Patrick James Cummins, arrived in Pakistan on Sunday night.
The last time Australia visited Pakistan was in November 1998.
During the visit, the Australian men will face the Green Shirts in three Test matches, three ODIs, and one T20. The opening Test match of the series will be played on March 4 at Rawalpindi. It will be followed by tests in Karachi and Lahore before three one-day internationals (ODIs) and a solitary T20 in Rawalpindi.
Senior batsman Steve Smith shared a photo on Twitter of the 35-man Australia tour party inside the cabin of their charter jet after it landed in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital.
Since a devastating terror assault on the visiting Sri Lanka team’s bus in 2009, Pakistan has struggled to lure foreign teams. After a suicide bombing at a church in Lahore five years ago, Australia cancelled a visit.
They last visited Pakistan in 1998, where they won the three-Test series 1-0 and blanked the hosts in three one-day internationals.
After being compelled to play their home games abroad, mostly in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan looked to have convinced international cricket officials last year, with both New Zealand and England slated to travel.
However, the Black Caps abruptly left in September, only minutes before their first match, citing security concerns, and England postponed trips by both their men’s and women’s teams.
The decisions infuriated Pakistan cricket officials, who believed they had done all necessary to assure safety and security.
Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, and others landed in Pakistan today.
Officials from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) greeted the players upon their arrival at Islamabad International Airport.
Test schedule:
March 4-8 — First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16 — Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25 — Third Test, Lahore
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.