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ISLAMABAD: The Australian cricket crew landed at Pakistan’s Islamabad International Airport on Sunday night time amid tight safety for his or her first cricket tour to the nation in 24 years.
Australia final toured Pakistan in November 1998.
During the tour, the Australian males will tackle the Green Shirts in three Test matches, as many ODIs and one T20I. The first match of the Test collection will begin in Rawalpindi from March 4. This will likely be adopted by Tests in Rawalpindi earlier than three ODIs and one T20I in Karachi and Lahore.
Senior batsman Steve Smith posted on Twitter an image of a 35-strong Australia tour occasion contained in the cabin of his constitution flight in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.
Since a lethal terrorist assault on the visiting Sri Lankan crew bus in 2009, Pakistan has struggled to draw visiting events. Australia pulled out of the tour 5 years in the past after a suicide bombing on the Lahore Church.
They final performed in Pakistan in 1998, profitable the three-Test collection 1–0 and vacating the hosts in three One Day Internationals.
After being compelled to play its residence video games abroad – largely within the United Arab Emirates – Pakistan reassured worldwide cricket officers final 12 months with excursions of each New Zealand and England.
But the Black Caps made a hasty departure in September, minutes earlier than the beginning of their first match, citing safety considerations, and England quickly suspended excursions of each their males’s and ladies’s groups.
The choices angered the Pakistan cricket officers, who felt that they had achieved all the things doable to make sure security and safety.
Those who arrived in Pakistan right this moment embody Pat Cummins (C), Steve Smith (VC), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and others.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officers welcomed the gamers on the Islamabad International Airport.
Test Schedule:
March 4-8 – 1st Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16 – Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25 – Third Test, Lahore
Pakistan squad
Babar Azam (Captain), Mohammad Rizwan (Vice-Captain), Abdullah Shafiq, 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 introduced the 18-man 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.
‘State stage’ safety chief
“The squad will be given a ‘state-level security chief’,” a spokesman for Pakistan’s Interior Ministry instructed AFP.
“Such arrangements are made only for high level foreign delegations, (and) the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan.”
As the Australians make the 15-kilometer (11-mile) journey, roads will likely be blocked, and their crew bus will likely be lined by navy helicopters.
The inside ministry stated snipers could be put in on buildings across the stadium, whereas close by retailers and workplaces have been ordered to be closed on match days.
Similar preparations will likely be in place for matches in Karachi and Lahore.
On Friday, Test captain Pat Cummins had stated that his crew is “comfortable” with the safety preparations and enthusiastic about what lies forward, as Australia put together to journey to Pakistan on their first tour since 1998.
Cummins stated, “We’ve got to find a place where everyone who gets on the plane is comfortable where they’re sitting. It’s really a whole body of work that the security and logistics teams have worked through.” “
The Australian will be confined to quarters for 24 hours after arriving for the COVID tests, before intensive training ahead of the first Test starting 4 March.
More than half of Pakistan’s 220 million people were not even born the last time they toured Australia – the average age is 22.8 – but stadiums are expected to be full as the country is relatively unscathed from the Omicron phase of the Covid pandemic.
Pakistan-Australia Test series tickets on sale
On 25 February, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) started online sale of tickets for the upcoming Pakistan-Australia Test series.
The PCB announced the timing of ticket sales in a press statement earlier today.
According to PCB, cricket lovers can log on to https://pcb.bookme.pk/ or buy tickets from their nearest M&P courier outlet.
For Rawalpindi Test, only two attachment categories are available.
Here are the ticket prices for the Pakistan-Australia three-day series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from March 4-8:
500 rupees for VIP enclosures which include Imran Khan, Javed Akhtar, Javed Miandad and Azhar Mehmood.
100 for premium enclosures including Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanveer, Meeran Baksh and Yasir Arafat.
Additional enter from AFP
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