Australian Team is now in Pakistan for a bilateral series that features all formats, which will begin on March 4 in Rawalpindi with the opening Test. This is a historic time for the Australian cricket team, who have arrived in the neighboring nation for a cricket series following the 1998-99 campaign. Pat Cummins to captain them, alongside Steve Smith as his deputy, while Aaron Finch will captain them in the limited-overs format. Australia Tour of Pakistan is a Big Moment says ACA Chief.
Todd Greenberg, the CEO of the Australia Cricketers’ Association (ACA), stated only days before the start of the eagerly awaited bilateral series that such a tour will be a crucial event for global cricket. Greenberg, alongside Cricket Australia (CA) Executive Officer Nick Hockley, is also among the Australian players who arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, on February 27.
A fair bit of anxiety amongst the players about this Australia Tour of Pakistan: Greenberg
This will also be Australia’s 1st series from the absence of their head coach Justin Langer, who recently resigned, is expected to be replaced with a big name in March. Following the successful Ashes series in Australia in December and January, it needs to be seen if Pat Cummins-led team will extend their rhythm in this series as they quest domination on Asian soil.
“It’s a big moment for Australian cricket and I think it’s a big moment for global cricket that an Australian team will tour Pakistan. I think going to Pakistan together is great. It’s something we talked about several months ago when there was, as you can appreciate, a fair bit of anxiety amongst the players about this tour,” said Greenberg.
“We’ve done a huge amount of work together in planning for this tour and a lot of communication with the players and their families”, he added.
Furthermore, the 2nd and 3rd Test matches will be held on March 12 at the National Stadium in Karachi and March 21 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, accordingly. The 3-match ODI series will be hosted in Rawalpindi on March 29, 31, & April 2, with a one-off T20I on April 5 at the same venue.
Australia’s cricket team has touched down in Pakistan for the first time after nearly 24 years and into a safety bubble that will wrap them for the duration of their 6-week tour.
Aussie Tour of Pakistan 2022:
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc), 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, Zahid Mahmood. Reserves: Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Haris
Australia 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, Steve Smith (VC), Mitchell Starc, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner. On standby: Sean Abbott, Brendan Doggett, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Renshaw
Australia ODI and T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
