Islamabad: Australia landed in Pakistan for the first time in 24 years on Sunday, for a six-week trip that would include three test matches, three one-day internationals, and a one-off Twenty20 match.
The last time Australia visited Pakistan was in 1998, when it won the test series 1-0 and all of the limited-overs matches.
Since a tragic terrorist assault on a visiting Sri Lankan team’s bus in 2009, Pakistan has struggled to recruit visiting teams, and Australia dropped out of a tour five years ago after a suicide bombing at a Lahore church.
Due to security concerns, both New Zealand and England canceled limited-overs trips to Pakistan last year. New Zealand canceled their visit just hours before the first ODI in Rawalpindi, which will host the first test against Australia on March 4.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has labeled 2022 as a “bumper year,” with tours from New Zealand and England scheduled for later this year.
The first Australian test will be held in Karachi from March 3 to 7. The second test will be held in Rawalpindi from March 12 to 16, followed by the third test in Lahore from March 21 to 25. The ODI series will begin on March 29 in Lahore, while Australia’s visit will conclude on April 5 with a Twenty20 match.
Last year, Australian security personnel visited Pakistan to review the security measures in the three cities before Cricket Australia approved the tour.
Thousands of security officers are anticipated to be deployed during the Australians’ visit, and the Pakistan cricket board anticipates capacity crowds for the tests and limited-overs series.
“You are really lucky to be surrounded by so many professionals, that was one of the big factors that we wanted to be thorough on,” Cummins said in a virtual press conference just hours after arriving in Pakistan.
“There’s lots of things going on around. This (security) might be a little bit different to what we’re used to, but we know it’s been taken care of so we can just really enjoy our first tour here in 24 years. And yeah, there’s no distractions other than the cricket.”
Arrived in 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/pnis0ckFeO
— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) February 27, 2022
Great to be here in Islamabad. Excited for the series! https://t.co/6b8IYSY64y
— Pat Cummins (@patcummins30) February 27, 2022
“Whenever we come over to play in the subcontinent, the fans are just so different to Australia that they’re loud, they’re really passionate, and I’m sure Pakistan’s going to be no different,” Cummins said.
“It’s the first test matches between the two countries over here in 20-odd years, so it’s a special moment. We feel privileged as players.”
