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Do you think Australia will tour Pakistan as planned in March/April 2022?

Do you think Australia will tour Pakistan as planned in March/April 2022?

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Now the Million (Australian) Dollar question.

Will they or wont they?

Lots of encouraging words coming out of Australia but as we learnt from the NZ and England experience, things change pretty fast.
 
My gut feeling is that they will tour, but a few high profile players will make themselves unavailable.
 
A full tour? Definitely not.

Even a game here or there will be difficult.
 
Yorkshire today:

"Yorkshire County Cricket Club can confirm that the friendly match announced between the Club and Lahore Qalandars in Lahore on 16th January has been postponed. Owing to the ongoing COVID-19 developments globally, and for the safety and wellness of all players, it has been decided that it is appropriate to reschedule the match to a later date, which will be confirmed in due course"

I hope it's not the case, but we might hear similar words from others too.
 
Last Monetarist said:
My gut feeling is that they will tour, but a few high profile players will make themselves unavailable.
Click to expand...

I think this as well. The public opinion seems to have shifted towards touring Pakistan as the 'right thing' to do. However i don't think that reflects on sending their best players just yet. I imagine we'll see Australia B turn up.
 
I don’t know what to believe anymore

An excuse is always the cards
 
Recent statements by the CA Chief have definitely changed my perspective a little bit. They'll tour but it probably won't be full-strength. Which would be a slap in the face to the idea of Australia and Australian players giving highest preference to Test matches.
 
I dont think so. It will either get cut short or wont happen altogether. I hope i am wrong..

Recently, Gloucestershire decided to not send their team, and the SOuth Africa didnt release their players for PSL. They gave different excuses.

I believe Australia will bottle out but lets see what reason do they use.

Have to give credit to Usman Khawaja, the guy has put an effort to be vocal and gave his opinion on touring Pakistan.
 
Gut feeling says they would back out. Hopefully not though. Don’t want them to give an excuse of not prepared for India after 7 months.
 
Not a chance... they are playing it up real nice right now as if they are all gung ho about showing up, and right at the finish line our friend covid will play the easy excuse...
 
Yes.

They've spoken too much about it to turn around without losing face.
 
So have any players apart from Usman Khawaja said whether they are keen or not to tour Australia?

Another player I remember is Glenn Maxwell, who said that this tour is the same time as his wedding (I think), implying that he probably won't tour for the LOI matches.

Now is probably the time to start knowing who is willing to tour. But as of now, Khawaja is the only player on the list.

in PSL, the only Australian players to have toured Pakistan (and are still playing cricket) are players that don't play international cricket.

I have seen some articles saying that Steve Smith is excited for the away matches in the subcontinent, but not specifically Pakistan.
 
I will be surprised if they tour. If you go by current travel advisory on SmartTraveller on Pakistan, tour should not be approved by the Federal and Security Agencies.
But, CA has been saying all the positive things till now so there is still some hope. They will look like real idiots if they put a COVID excuse as they made India and England travel to Australia at the height of COVID.
 
Quoting Mitchell Starc here:

"We had a bit of a briefing the other day about the upcoming tour [of Pakistan]. I think it'll take some time for all players to process that information. And then obviously, we've got a Test match this week to play and perform in and then we'll move on to what comes next."

This makes me think whatever briefing they received wasn't very positive. If my reading is correct and if the tour goes ahead, there will be a lot of big names sitting out of the tour.
 
You think what you are therefore you are. There is too much self deprication from Pakistani people as if they themselves feel they don't deserve a tour by Australia and are not worthy of a cricketing tour by Australia.

Positivity breeds positive outcomes whereas habitual pessimism breeds negativity.

I think deep down this tour will go ahead because 24 years is a long time to not tour a country for cricket and I am pretty sure all the mainstream Australian players want to experience playing cricket in Pakistan
 
The tour will go ahead in some form but I don't expect to see the likes of Warner, Labuschagne, Smith, Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc, and Lyon to make the trip.

Will be interesting to see Ramiz's reaction when a weakened squad is announced by CA.
 
I feel a side will visit Pakistan - whether it's the full strength one is the question
 
Forward Defensive Push said:
Brace yourselves for COVID excuses.
Click to expand...
Wuhan virus is a reality not a excuse.
Hong kong has just banned flights from 8 countries to hk , Pakistan is one of them.
Though officially Pakistan has negligible infection , for some reason other countries seem to include Pakistan in every ban ?

The tour will happen but probably not tests, Odi and t20s. Quick in , quick out.
 
Last edited:
maint12345 said:
Wuhan virus is a reality not a excuse.
Hong kong has just banned flights from 8 countries to hk , Pakistan is one of them.
Though officially Pakistan has negligible infection , for some reason other countries seem to include Pakistan in every ban ?

The tour will happen but probably not tests, Odi and t20s. Quick in , quick out.
Click to expand...

Indian user I assume?

Australia just reported 150k covid cases yesterday. 100k covid cases day before yesterday. In a population of 26m. If covid really is a valid excuse then England should be going back right now.

As for the Hong Kong ban, quite a stretch to go from that to "every other countries seem include Pakistan in every ban" with no actual other ban to speak of.
 
maint12345 said:
Wuhan virus is a reality not a excuse.
Hong kong has just banned flights from 8 countries to hk , Pakistan is one of them.
Though officially Pakistan has negligible infection , for some reason other countries seem to include Pakistan in every ban ?

The tour will happen but probably not tests, Odi and t20s. Quick in , quick out.
Click to expand...

Can't edit previous post, but if Hong Kong ban is your measuring stick, then banned flights from Australia as well. So basically all your points are invalid.
 
Well Pat Cummins seems pretty positive regarding touring Pakistan:

"Still a bit to work through, but at this stage it's all looking really positive. The amount of work the PCB has put into it is fantastic. It's shaping up as, I think just about everyone - if not all - will go"
 
Last Monetarist said:
The tour will go ahead in some form but I don't expect to see the likes of Warner, Labuschagne, Smith, Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc, and Lyon to make the trip.

Will be interesting to see Ramiz's reaction when a weakened squad is announced by CA.
Click to expand...

What's the point then. Just cancel the tour.
 
Last Monetarist said:
The tour will go ahead in some form but I don't expect to see the likes of Warner, Labuschagne, Smith, Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc, and Lyon to make the trip.

Will be interesting to see Ramiz's reaction when a weakened squad is announced by CA.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't care, it's a win win. Australia tour and we face easier opposition.
 
shamaan said:
Australia second string is stil decent and should provide enough competition for Pakistan pluss Khawaja will pucovski are good replacements for either Warner and Smith.
Click to expand...

Even if Australia's D team comes and completes the tour without any issue , that would be a huge success in improving Pakistan's perception and more tours will follow .
 
Many people have said in the past that a weakened team will not help with future tours.
Whether it's a weakened squad or not will not make a difference to changing the perception of touring Pakistan - as long as the tour goes ahead, it will be immensely helpful. We have seen in the past when a weakened SL team toured. Similarly, NZ decided to pull out a weakened side based on a hoax threat.
 
A month is a long time. Most likely a few new players will come along. Starc might miss the test series or limited overs in order to give himself rest around these COVID times.

Overall expect to see a lot of stars in display be it Maxwell, Finch, Smith or Warner.

Straight after the PSL there will hopefully be some exciting more cricket for the team.
 
I would like Pakistani players to build interpersonal relationships with the Australian players. Had team dinners, outings, invite them to places, show them around Pakistan. It is absolutely riddiculous that no Australian team has set foot in Pakistan for 24 years.

The PM and President of Pakistan should invite both teams along with the Australian High Commissioner. Build on this tour and encourage the Australian players to sign up for the PSL drafts going forward.
 
moghul said:
Even if Australia's D team comes and completes the tour without any issue , that would be a huge success in improving Pakistan's perception and more tours will follow .
Click to expand...

Yes definitely agree hopefully it does go ahead.
 
I think Australia will send their first choice for the tests and a second-string for the T20s and ODIs. That would be reasonable.
 
The Australian Cricketers' Association is bracing for players to pull out of the tour of Pakistan due to safety concerns, despite reassurances about the situation.

Australia last toured Pakistan in 1998, but the 24-year wait will end on March 4 when the three-Test series begins in Rawalpindi.

The long-awaited tour will also feature three ODIs and one T20.

Some players are still nervous about entering Pakistan due to safety fears.

The onset of war in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2001 following the September 11 attacks in the US and a 2009 gunfire attack on a Sri Lanka team bus, meant Australia deemed a tour of Pakistan too risky until now.

Instead, Pakistan have been forced to host Australia in the United Arab Emirates several times over the past two decades.

Cricket Australia sent a delegation of staff to Pakistan in December along with government officials to determine whether it was safe for Australia to tour.

Despite the tour being given the all-clear, ACA chief executive Todd Greenberg says there are some players who might pull out.

"Clearly there's some anxiety about touring, and that's perfectly natural given an Australian cricket team hasn't toured Pakistan for almost 25 years," Greenberg told SEN.

"I think we'll have a very full squad that will go.

"We may have one or two players that won't be comfortable despite all of the advice and guidance that we provide, and that's OK.

"Along with Cricket Australia, we'll need to respect those players and give them our full support if they decide not to make this tour."

Greenberg said the tour of Pakistan was an important moment for international cricket.

"The players completely understand our contribution to the global game," he said.

"We don't have an expectation that we will sit here and expect teams to tour our country and not contribute ourselves.

"There's been an enormous amount of work on security detail and keeping players safe. That's priority No.1.

"On top of that is all the COVID protocols and the biosecurity rules and regulations."

https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/cricket/players-still-anxious-about-pakistan-tour-c-5599685
 
Savak said:
I would like Pakistani players to build interpersonal relationships with the Australian players. Had team dinners, outings, invite them to places, show them around Pakistan. It is absolutely riddiculous that no Australian team has set foot in Pakistan for 24 years.

The PM and President of Pakistan should invite both teams along with the Australian High Commissioner. Build on this tour and encourage the Australian players to sign up for the PSL drafts going forward.
Click to expand...

Yes exactly. Pakistani players should make an extra effort to interact personally with the Australian players, show them around, show them a good time, eat and drink with them, etc. Especially important given the security and covid bubbles and the loneliness and isolation those can create. And great point about the PM inviting the team and the high commissioner for a special dinner. Make it really memorable for them beyond the play on the field. I think we saw some of that with Pakistani players (I think it was Imad and Hassan Ali?) interacting with players during the T20 World Cup. Much more of that is needed in Pakistan.
 
PakFan2010 said:
I think Australia will send their first choice for the tests and a second-string for the T20s and ODIs. That would be reasonable.
Click to expand...

We almost never send full strength white ball teams anywhere. It's always a bit of mix & match & workload easing + blood a new face or two.

For the Test team, I think there are so many players who are not quite 100% sure of their place that most will want to play for their spots. Guys like Warner & Starc I'd see most 50/50 on coming. But if Warner wants to fix his overseas record we have 3 tours in Asia now and he'd want to start in Pakistan rather than India.
 
With the situation in Baluchistan through Afghanistan one blast and the Aussies will return home.
 
Dont think the following will come:

1. Warner
2. Hazelwood
3. Marsh
4. Stoinis
5. Maxwell (though he has had to postpone his wedding multiple times)


Also unsure about smith
 
pakistanigoneaussie said:
Dont think the following will come:

1. Warner
2. Hazelwood
3. Marsh
4. Stoinis
5. Maxwell (though he has had to postpone his wedding multiple times)


Also unsure about smith
Click to expand...

A weak Aussie team will be a bigger threat as Pakistan team generally lacks motivation against B sides.
 
See below for the full 18-man squad for Australia's Test tour of Pakistan.

Pat Cummins (c)
Steve Smith (vc)
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
Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Swepson
David Warner

https://www.sportingnews.com/au/cri...bailey-usman-khawaja-david-warner-pat-cummins

All of the big names are coming.
 
A full-strength Test squad suggests they just might be serious about touring!
 
All good and strong squad announced.

But until that first ball is bowled, anything can happen.
 
Its a solid squad and a squad filled with players Pakistani fans didn't think would ever tour.

But there is plenty of time for them to cancel this tour.
 
Aussie players considering pulling out of Pakistan tour over safety

Here we go again..

Usman Khawaja could miss the birth of his second child during Australia’s tour of Pakistan while Cricket Australia is expecting players to pull out over safety concerns.

Khawaja won’t be one of them as he seizes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play Test cricket in his birth country to fulfil a lifelong dream.

But according to Sydney Morning Herald, some members of Australia’s 18-man squad are not as eager, and could withdraw.

The publication reports that CA is bracing for players to skip what is Australia’s first visit to Pakistan in nearly 24 years.

Players and staff have been briefed by CA over the intense security measures in place in a bid to give the touring party every confidence in touring Pakistan, although it may not be enough for some.

It will be, however, for Khawaja, who just burst back into Australia’s Test XI in time for the historic series.

Such is Khawaja’s commitment to the tour that he runs the risk of missing the birth of his second child.

The three Test series is scheduled to end on March 25, while Khawaja and wife Rachel are expecting in mid to late April.

Should the baby arrive earlier than expected, Khawaja could still be in Pakistan when the child is born.

“She’s very understanding. We even had a conversation about what happens if we had a baby mid-Test match,” Khawaja said. “She knows I love playing cricket, it’s very important to me, she’s very supportive of that, and she knows I try to support her any way I can.

“But fingers crossed she doesn’t have a baby while we’re away. I was always going to go.

“It’s going to take me a lot to come back, it is Test cricket for Australia. I’m sort of not thinking about it because I don’t want it to happen, but ask me if it does happen.”

Meanwhile, selectors chair George Bailey revealed on Wednesday that four players have been put on standby to tour Pakistan should they be required.

Batters and former Test players Matthew Renshaw and Nic Maddinson are on stand by, while Sean Abbott and Mark Steketee are bowling back-up.

“Matt Renshaw and Nic Maddinson on the batting front I think are two guys that we’re really happy with how they’re going at the moment,” Bailey told SEN.

“We’re looking forward to them continuing their form over the next little period.”

Of Abott and Steketee, he added: “They’ve both been around the Australian group at different times.

“Any of those four, when they do get their opportunity, I’m really confident they’ll do a great job.”

https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricke...m/news-story/1c9bb15af495e54a7cb1ca6abb45c58b
 
They shouldn't have added players to the squad without confirming they want to tour. If the players change their mind, that's another thing, but it's not even clear they have gone to confirm in the first place.
 
lets see what happens, i think it will be more a stain on them if they pull out, aussies have committed to the tour as a whole so wont look good on the player, as long as they come it will be a start even if there is 2 3 top players missing,
 
Should've announced the trimmed squad after pullouts. Why make a mess of it when you've already announced it? Weird stuff by CA tbh.
 
‘President level’ security: Pakistan’s layers of cricket protection

Contemplating Australia’s imminent resumption of Test tours to Pakistan and how many of the selected team will make the trip, there’s security and there’s security - bodily and bio.

One-time Australian all-rounder Ben Cutting is on his fourth visit to Pakistan, playing for Peshawar in the Pakistan Super League. Former Victorian wicketkeeper and captain Darren Berry made two trips there late last decade, as assistant coach to the late Dean Jones at Islamabad.

Both say the place was and is bristling with security. It is initially confronting, but ultimately reassuring. “It’s extremely obvious,” said Cutting. “That’s why you feel so secure when you come here. Right from the moment you land at the airport through to when you fly back out again, there’s plenty of security.

“It’s presidential level. If our Prime Minister was to travel to Pakistan, he would get the same level as the Test team will get, as we are getting.”

Cutting is so little fazed, he takes along his wife, former model and singer Erin Holland, who works as a commentator on the PSL.

“There hasn’t been a thought about security concerns for myself or my wife,” he said.

Berry remembers four armed vehicles accompanying the team bus wherever it went, and a helicopter. Hearing a slight commotion one night in a hotel room in Karachi, he folded back a corner of the curtain to see a soldier with machine standing guard. Then he saw that there was one at every window.

“It’s an unsettling experience, but I never felt unsafe all the time I was there,” he said.

Both he and Cutting have been involved in the IPL and have learned to treat soldiers and weaponry as a fact of life on the subcontinent.

International cricket ceased in Pakistan in 2009 after a fatal terrorist attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus. For a decade, Pakistan played out of an off-shore base in the UAE.

In 2017, a World XI tested the waters, playing three Twenty20 games in Lahore. Cutting was in that team, making his first visit to Pakistan. Lately, Test teams from Sri Lanka, South Africa and Bangladesh have set measured foot back in the country, and so have individual cricketers to play in the PSL. About 10 from outside the subcontinent feature in this seventh edition.

But New Zealand abandoned a tour when already in the country last September because of an unspecified security alert. Australia’s visit, its first since 1998, will be a watershed.

But as Pakistan emerges from one form of isolation, it necessarily enforces another. “It’s still very much bubble life,” Cutting said. “Wherever you are in the cricket world, you’ve got a biosecurity bubble. We had a biosecurity bubble for the BBL, for the second half. Bubble life is the way forward at the moment, whether you like it or not, unfortunately.”

Berry thinks this, rather than physical protection, will be Australia’s most pressing challenge in Pakistan, especially against the backdrop of a messy change of coaches.

“It’s all hotel, ground, hotel, ground, one coffee shop, 60 blokes in it,” he said. “Team unity is going to be really important, because you’re going to spend a lot of time together.”

For Berry, there was an incidental benefit. It helped to patch up an old rift between him and Jones. “We’d get back to the hotel, have a coffee, go back to the room, shower, agree to meet in the restaurant over a bottle of red,” he said. “You are always in each other’s pockets.”

It is scarcely a secret that a life of hub-hopping has worn on cricketers everywhere these last two years. Adding a layer of security concerns has created an expectation that not everyone selected by Australia this week ultimately will embark for Pakistan later this month. A national team will attract attention in a way a domestic competition won’t.

Cutting understands. “There’s always going to be reservations about coming here for the first time, particularly under an Australian flag, or at least a cricket team banner,” he said. “It’s going to be different again from our experience. But from my personal experience, I’ve enjoyed it. That’s why I come back every year, and bring my wife.”

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...rs-of-cricket-protection-20220209-p59v4t.html
 
National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf has said that there was no security issue in Pakistan anymore and all big international cricket teams will visit the country soon.

He was speaking to reporters in Lahore ahead of a match during the ongoing HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL).

"Unfortunately, the image given to us [by international media] over the past 15 to 20 years was extremely negative," he said and added many even said that cricket cannot return to the country.

Moeed said that Pakistan has now successfully controlled terrorism and has achieved major achievements in its fight against terror. "Now, Australia is coming [next month] but you will see others will also follow."

He said that he finds it hard to find some free time to watch cricket regularly due to his official commitments but added that he came to the stadium to watch the match as he was already in Lahore.

"When we were children, we used to see cricket regularly in Pakistan and all streets and corners were filled with children playing cricket... unfortunately, this generation could not see that," he added.

The NSA lauded the environment during the PSL matches, saying that it will take the Pakistan cricket a long way.

"It is very important for our nation as well as the world to see what real Pakistan is."

Moeed said that the country is often criticised over its security problems but the real Pakistan is which can be witnessed here in Gaddafi Stadium today. "You will see further improvement and [arrival of foreign teams] it will become a routine activity... we'll be back where we were," he added.

He said that Australian security teams visited Pakistan and were satisfied with the security arrangements, hoping that it will be a successful tour from the Aussies.

To a question regarding his favourite team in PSL, Moeed said that since he was from Lahore so he was supporting Lahore Qalandars but said that his children were supporting Peshawar Zalmi today.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2343310/all-big-cricket-teams-to-visit-pakistan-soon-nsa
 
Tickets will go on sale in couple of days. Ticket prices will be very low, 200-700Rs for test matches & 300-1000Rs for ODIs.
 
aqeelPK said:
Tickets will go on sale in couple of days. Ticket prices will be very low, 200-700Rs for test matches & 300-1000Rs for ODIs.
Click to expand...

That's really good to see that the tickets are really low hopefully Karachi crowd don't flop.
 
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Sunday took opposition to the task for selecting an inappropriate time to hold the so-called power show against the government in Rawalpindi where the Australian Cricket team would be playing the first test match of its tour against Pakistan.

He, in a tweet, said Aussies and green shirts would be having the first cricket test series at Pakistan in 23 years.

The whole nation was celebrating the revival of such cricket in the country, but it was only the “hodgepodge” opposition that felt uncomfortable and planning a so-called power show on ‘rent,’ he added.

It may be mentioned here that the first leg of the Australian cricket team’s tour to Pakistan would begin at the start of next month and the opposition has also planned a long march in the same days.

Daily Times
 
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