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"I'm really excited about the upcoming Pakistan tour" : Pat Cummins

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Come the 20-minute tea break at Blundstone Arena on Sunday night, Pat Cummins was confronted by a scenario he had not previously known in his brief but largely stress-free tenure as Australia Test captain to that point.

England was not only off the mat for the first time in a mostly lopsided Vodafone Ashes contest, but seemingly on the charge having reduced their 271-run victory target by 68 in the space of just 16 overs for the loss of opener Rory Burns to the final ball before the adjournment.

In days not so far past – most notably last summer's series loss to India where Australia's performances faded and frustrations grew as the campaign wore on – the match scenario might have brought addled thinking and an inability to stick to a single strategy in the haste for opposition wickets.

But this is demonstrably a different team under Cummins' leadership.

And when play resumed after a concise and clear chat about what was needed to stem England's push and swing momentum back Australia's way, the result was as clinical as it was swift.

Cummins and his men scythed through the last nine England wickets for the addition of just 56 additional runs from 116 deliveries sent down in less than two hours as Australia closed out a 4-0 series win by piling one final humiliation on their long-time foes.

"We had a really good chat, Andrew McDonald the bowling coach and (coach) Justin Langer as well," Cummins revealed of the tea meeting that preceded his team's 146-run win.

"I think you can get carried away under lights here that it's going to seam around everywhere, it's going to swing around corners and you get carried into bowling really full.

"It didn't feel like that was the length that was going to draw wickets, we felt that slightly back of a length (was better) and try to dry up the runs.

"So we had a really clear plan to hold just a good line and length outside off stump, put an extra fielder or two back and as soon as we did that I felt like an extra 200 runs was a long way away for the English batters if we stuck at that plan.

"No doubt bowling under lights does help, it did dart around a little bit more, but I thought we had really clear plans in that last session."

It's that clarity of planning – which Cummins also spoke about after the final day at Sydney where he felt his bowlers stuck to the strategy even though it netted only nine of the 10 wickets they sought – that has Australia's latest Ashes-winning skipper enthused about the future.

Not just the next Test assignment, which is scheduled to come in Pakistan starting next month when Australia makes their first red-ball venture overseas since the 2019 Ashes campaign in the UK.

But Cummins also believes the experiences gained during this challenging summer (more through logistics than opposition), the seamlessness with which players swung in and out of the starting XI, and the development of talents such as Compton-Miller Medallist Travis Head and allrounder Cameron Green bodes well for an even longer stint of success.

That excitement was palpable in Cummins during his post-match media interaction last night, and he cited the manner in which his less-experienced batters counter-attacked on day one despite Australia being 3-12 on a green, seaming Hobart pitch as evidence for his confidence.

"I thought way Marnus (Labuschagne), Trav Head and Cam Green took on the game was a really good template for any conditions that are foreign to what we might expect," he said.

"We can be the type of team that are brave enough to take that positivity overseas if we need to, and I think that puts us in a great place.

"We had a squad of 15 players used this series, everyone brings slightly different skills and goes about it slightly differently, so I'm really excited about the upcoming Pakistan tour.

"We've played really well in Australia, it's now up to us to take that overseas.

"We haven't played a lot overseas in the last couple of years, so Pakistan, Sri Lanka (this year), India next year, England – it's all really foreign conditions to Australia.

"This is just hopefully the beginning.

"I feel like we're in a really good place, there's hopefully no imminent retirees so hopefully we're building something big for the next few years."

The obvious goal in that time span is the recently introduced ICC World Test Championship, the final of which is loosely pencilled in for the northern summer of 2023 prior to Australia's Ashes defence in the UK.

Standing between Cummins' team and that aspiration will likely be Test series in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India as well as planned home series against West Indies and South Africa next summer.

The new Test captain, who took over when Tim Paine stood down from the role just weeks before the opening Ashes Test in Brisbane, knows Australia's record overseas has been patchy amid a paucity of matches with just five wins from 17 offshore Tests in the past five years.

And he also recognises it will be those away assignments, most immediately amid the steamy heat and alien pitch conditions of the subcontinent, where the seemingly seamless manner in which he's taken to the captaincy will face its harshest examination.

"I think the biggest challenges are going to be ahead," Cummins said. "We're lucky we live in an age where we've got incredible support staff around who take a lot of those stresses out of what a captain might have had around strategy, man management, those kind of things.

"Probably my biggest worry in accepting the role as captain was that I'm in the team as a bowler and I want to make sure that's protected and I'm able to perform as well as I'd like.

"I think with each game I felt better at managing that.

"I could really switch off and take off the captain's hat and just be a bowler for my overs.

"Even little things around bowling changes, moving fields, in between my overs, I felt I got better at that as the series went on.

"So that's a hugely pleasing thing.

"It might be difficult in the heat, or (during) longer innings, but I feel like it's something I'm only going to get better at."

Indeed, for all the angst and debate that accompanied the decision to ignore the convention of batting specialists in the leadership role and instead install a fast bowler as Australia Test captain, results suggest it was an outcome that amplified rather than defied history.

After all, the only Australia Test skipper to boast a better success rate than Cummins' three wins and a draw from his first four Tests in charge was Warwick Armstrong, an allrounder.

And having slipped comfortably into the position by overseeing a mauling of the nation's historic cricket rival, Cummins has found that balancing the duties of bowling fast alongside the tactical subtleties of captaincy are perhaps not as vexed as many wanted to believe, himself among them.

"For sure there's more scrutiny, but in terms of the actual role on the field and conversations around the changerooms and that kind of thing, it is manageable," he said in reflecting on his first Test series at the helm.

"It's not a helluva lot different to what I'd be having anyway as a bowler, you just have to be across a little bit more.

"The role is big and important, but it's probably not as all-encompassing as I perhaps might have thought when I first took it on."

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/pat...y-success-australia-tours-pakistan/2022-01-17
 
No way they're not travelling after all this.

If they want to be taken seriously as a cricketing power, they better tour various teams rather than leaving the likes of Pakistan and South Africa and Afghanistan in the lurch.
 
Would definitely go to watch the 2nd test. Really appreciate how Aussies have been positive and actively lobbying to visit Pakistan.
 
Glad to hear Aussie cricketers all primed for this tour - hope Warner and Smith also say similar.
 
Will believe them once they land in Pakistan. :inti

Well New Zealand called off the tour minutes before the start of the first match so I don't even think them landing in Pakistan would be enough to make me believe lol.

Maybe once the first ball is bowled.
 
The more chat i hear from them the more im convinced they wont be coming
 
No way they're not travelling after all this.

If they want to be taken seriously as a cricketing power, they better tour various teams rather than leaving the likes of Pakistan and South Africa and Afghanistan in the lurch.

Don't you work in the travel industry? Air stewardess right? How can we take you seriously given Covid 19 killed many people yet you continued to travel? Unless you were fired from your job?

No way to travel during Covid is your advise? Be honest if one is to take you seriously.
 
Don't you work in the travel industry? Air stewardess right? How can we take you seriously given Covid 19 killed many people yet you continued to travel? Unless you were fired from your job?

No way to travel during Covid is your advise? Be honest if one is to take you seriously.

Nope.
 
Glad to hear Aussie cricketers all primed for this tour - hope Warner and Smith also say similar.

Warner is best buddies with Usman Khawaja who is very vocal on the need to tour.

I think he will come. I think Smith will too.
 
Australian pacers will enjoy the Pakistani conditions
 
Saying all the right things.

Let's hope there isn't a change of heart.

Security, well being of players, covid? Which is the most likely excuse?
 
Glad to hear Aussie cricketers all primed for this tour - hope Warner and Smith also say similar.

They might fall in line, or most likely just keep their mouths shut.

Cummins is a very, very different character than Clarke & Smith types who have a very, very limited worldview and knowledge of anything outside cricket. Or even interest in other places. Quite insular & inward focussed.

Cummins has a very different mind & worldview- more open, a lot more educated, more curious about the world. He's the one setting the tone in the sheds now, so will be spreading a different kind of view on the upcoming Asia tours than either of those two might have.
 
Cummins has the potential to become one of the better Australian captains of recent times and a very popular and respected cricketer in the world, not just in Australia .
 
Australian spinner Mitch Swepson would love to book his ticket on the tour to Pakistan in March but admits there is a degree of apprehension regarding security in the subcontinental country.

The tour is set to be Australia’s first to Pakistan for 24 years, with three Test matches, three one-dayers and a Twenty20 match slated to take place over five weeks.

Australia has only participated in “away” tours against Pakistan at neutral venues in Sri Lanka and the UAE since 1998 due to civil unrest.

A terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus in Pakistan in 2009 led to almost no international cricket for a decade in Pakistan, with Zimbabwe’s two-match T20 series in 2015 the only series to be staged there in that period.

The West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and South Africa have all toured Pakistan since 2018, but New Zealand cancelled their scheduled T20 series there in September due to a security threat.

“We’ve been fed bits and pieces of information on security and what it’s been like,” Swepson said.

“There’s been a few tours I think over the last couple of years there with other countries so they’re feeding off that.

“At the end of the day, there’s guys behind the scenes doing all the work to make sure it’s safe to go and I’m sure they won’t put us at risk if it’s not safe so we’ve got to trust those guys that are doing that job.”

Swepson said peace of mind while touring Pakistan would be paramount, with the spectre of Covid looming as well.

“You don’t want to have anything hanging over the back of your head while you want to be over there and perform and be in the right mental space,” he said.

“You almost forget about Covid, it just adds another layer, doesn’t it? It’ll be a handful definitely, but it will just be interesting to see how it pans out.

“Just excited about going somewhere else, somewhere new.”

Swepson, who was part of the recent Ashes squad but failed to play a game, was hopeful that the spinner-friendly conditions in Pakistan would finally lead to his Test debut.

“It would be awesome,” said Swepson.

“Obviously didn’t get quite the conditions in the Ashes series to play a second spinner and that’s the way it is.

“Tough team to crack into so hopefully there’s some spicy conditions for spinners when we go to Pakistan and hopefully I can get an opportunity over there.

“I’m just really excited again to be around the group and I don’t want to get my hopes up too much but it would be great to get a game.

“As a spinner I’m excited get over there and see some spinning decks.”

https://www.news.com.au/sport/crick...r/news-story/69badb15ba251d6da08f8542c125c7e6
 
This is beyond insulting from Australian cricketers and CA. Stop making it that big a deal. We haven’t had any security issues for many many years now. If you wanna come then come. Enough with these “apprehensions”. Timid bunch of sooks.
 
Australia will prepare for the possibility of pace-friendly Test wickets in Pakistan as March's tour looks increasingly likely to go ahead.

Cricket Australia's board is expected to sign off on the tour next month, its first to Pakistan since 1998.

A pre-tour security reconnaissance of Pakistan late last year was largely positive, with players and staff given a preliminary briefing.

Players are also set to be canvassed for their individual positions on whether they will tour, with Pat Cummins admitting last week he understood if players pulled out.

But selectors are planning as if the three-match series from March 3 will go ahead, as Australia hunt their first series win in Asia since 2011.

Of particular note is that quicks have been the best-performing bowlers since international cricket returned to Pakistan in 2019.

While the sub-continent has traditionally been spin friendly, Pakistan speedsters Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah have been the best bowlers in matches there.

"We don't have a great deal of information on what sort of wickets to expect," chief selector George Bailey told ABC Tasmania.

"We've looked at a lot of their first-class cricket. Maybe counter intuitively, it seems to favour fast bowling.

"Pakistan do have a wealth of strong fast bowlers.

"A lot of our subcontinent experience has led to thinking that the spin is going to be quite handy too.

"We're covering all bases and taking a couple of spinners and a bevy of fast bowlers just to make sure whatever conditions we do get, we're able to adapt."

Cameron Green's emergence as a genuine bowling threat in the 4-0 Ashes win could still allow Australia to play Mitchell Swepson as a second spinner, given Green could play as a third quick.

The tour of Pakistan will mark Australia's first away Test series since the 2019 Ashes, with trips to South Africa and Bangladesh postponed because of COVID-19.

The virus could still alter the team's calendar, as AAP understands three T20s in New Zealand in March could be moved to Australia.

Arrivals in New Zealand currently must serve 10 days in quarantine.

Given the three-match T20 series lasts just four days, that would appear unlikely to go ahead.

There is some hope isolation periods could be reduced before then.

But another option being explored is to tack the T20 games onto the end of New Zealand's tour of Australia later this month.

The two sides are due to play three ODIs between January 30 and February 5, which are likely to be played in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney due to border and logistical issues.

One T20 match is set to follow in Canberra, but it is now possible more could be added.

Those additional matches could be played before or after Sri Lanka arrive for five T20s from February 11.

https://7news.com.au/sport/cricket/selectors-consider-pace-as-key-in-pakistan-c-5354647
 
Covid will be the most pathetic excuse, if they go there. They are running 100-150k cases every day in Australia now, in a population of 26m.
 
Australian T20 captain Aaron Finch has locked in World Cup winner Matthew Wade as his number one wicketkeeper for upcoming internationals including the tour of Pakistan despite the Hobart Hurricanes taking the gloves off him.

It comes as Australian Cricketers’ Association CEO Todd Greenberg declared he was confident “everyone will go” to Pakistan despite some expressing concerns about travelling.

In the last four games, the Hurricanes have opted for Ben McDermott behind the stumps over the Wade, who is the Hobart captain. But with white-ball series against New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan coming up in the next couple of months, Finch moved to give him man security.

“They can do what they want, I’m not fussed to be fair,” Finch said of Hobart.

“How they structure up their side’s none of our business, he’ll still be the wicketkeeper for Australia in the T20s. He’ll be right.”

Finch has been the pick of the Renegades batsmen in what has been another forgettable summer for them, with 304 runs at 33.77, and a strike rate of 131.03, including three fifties as a one-day series against the Kiwis looms at the end of January.

“I feel like I’ve been hitting them OK, I’m moving reasonably well which is nice, so it’ll be a good challenge against New Zealand and Sri Lanka,” Finch said.

But the series everyone is talking about is the historic tour of Pakistan set to take place in March and April, and Finch said he was “super excited” by the prospect of being part of the first Australian team to travel there since 1998.

“Providing everything is in place and it all goes ahead, I can’t wait for it,” he said.

On Wednesday, Greenberg declared the players were ready to tour Pakistan despite some expressing concerns about travelling.

“I think everyone will go,” Greenberg said.

“It’s a very significant tour with three Test matches.

“Talking to (the) players, they want to test themselves against the very best in the world and they want to play in different conditions.

Greenberg said the Australian players “had a duty” to tour Pakistan for the betterment of world cricket and every precaution was being taken to protect them.

“We can’t just expect teams to continue to tour Australia and for us not to make that same level of commitment,” Greenberg told SEN.

“We’re not taking by chance and we’re doing everything possible to protect them … not just to the players but their families.

“We’ll take a really strong team and players will embrace that opportunity.”

The first Test is scheduled to take place on March 3 in Karachi.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/crick...n/news-story/d817d5cc41c9a79bce043d77d18be224
 
Australian T20 captain Aaron Finch has locked in World Cup winner Matthew Wade as his number one wicketkeeper for upcoming internationals including the tour of Pakistan despite the Hobart Hurricanes taking the gloves off him.

It comes as Australian Cricketers’ Association CEO Todd Greenberg declared he was confident “everyone will go” to Pakistan despite some expressing concerns about travelling.

In the last four games, the Hurricanes have opted for Ben McDermott behind the stumps over the Wade, who is the Hobart captain. But with white-ball series against New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan coming up in the next couple of months, Finch moved to give him man security.

“They can do what they want, I’m not fussed to be fair,” Finch said of Hobart.

“How they structure up their side’s none of our business, he’ll still be the wicketkeeper for Australia in the T20s. He’ll be right.”

Finch has been the pick of the Renegades batsmen in what has been another forgettable summer for them, with 304 runs at 33.77, and a strike rate of 131.03, including three fifties as a one-day series against the Kiwis looms at the end of January.

“I feel like I’ve been hitting them OK, I’m moving reasonably well which is nice, so it’ll be a good challenge against New Zealand and Sri Lanka,” Finch said.

But the series everyone is talking about is the historic tour of Pakistan set to take place in March and April, and Finch said he was “super excited” by the prospect of being part of the first Australian team to travel there since 1998.

“Providing everything is in place and it all goes ahead, I can’t wait for it,” he said.

On Wednesday, Greenberg declared the players were ready to tour Pakistan despite some expressing concerns about travelling.

“I think everyone will go,” Greenberg said.

“It’s a very significant tour with three Test matches.

“Talking to (the) players, they want to test themselves against the very best in the world and they want to play in different conditions.

Greenberg said the Australian players “had a duty” to tour Pakistan for the betterment of world cricket and every precaution was being taken to protect them.

“We can’t just expect teams to continue to tour Australia and for us not to make that same level of commitment,” Greenberg told SEN.

“We’re not taking by chance and we’re doing everything possible to protect them … not just to the players but their families.

“We’ll take a really strong team and players will embrace that opportunity.”

The first Test is scheduled to take place on March 3 in Karachi.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/crick...n/news-story/d817d5cc41c9a79bce043d77d18be224

Very encouraging statements .
 
Really hope this tour goes ahead... It would be very interesting to see what type of wickets will be prepared..... Would be a cracker of a series if it does proceed.
 
Based on current form Australia will whitewash us without putting much effort.
 
Cummins is going to be playing in the IPL. Some IPL team is going to pay a whole bunch of money to sign him. The IPL starts right after the series in Pak.

Will he be able to keep himself fit and fresh for the IPL? What "steps" will Cummins be taking to make sure of that?
 
Cummins is going to be playing in the IPL. Some IPL team is going to pay a whole bunch of money to sign him. The IPL starts right after the series in Pak.

Will he be able to keep himself fit and fresh for the IPL? What "steps" will Cummins be taking to make sure of that?


If he goes i imagine it will just be for the tests


The noises here are that the test team will be close to full strength but limited overs sides will just be specalists
 
If he goes i imagine it will just be for the tests


The noises here are that the test team will be close to full strength but limited overs sides will just be specalists

That's good. Nobody cares about the ODIs and T20s anyway.
 
If he goes i imagine it will just be for the tests


The noises here are that the test team will be close to full strength but limited overs sides will just be specalists

That normal for Aussies...they do it all time, I don't remember them playing white-ball games at full-strength barring WC
 
That normal for Aussies...they do it all time, I don't remember them playing white-ball games at full-strength barring WC

Yes for their bowlers, but the likes of warner wont be there


Pretty much anyone thats got an ipl contract
 
Pakistan batting and bowling line up is not experienced it will be good learning curve for haider ali,saud shakeel,wasim Jnr and the rest

Pakistan will most likely play with some new openers and

Azhar
Babar
Fawad
Rizwan
 
I really hope we get some good crowds for all matches. A packed house for a test match would be electric.
 
Winners grin and losers have a good long look at themselves. England will be ordering full-length mirrors by the pallet. Australia can have a quiet smirk, a few beers, pat themselves on their collective backs and look forward to touring Pakistan in March. But they cannot afford to be complacent.

The margin of victory in the Ashes was wide: 4-0 and a measly one wicket away from the sweep. England’s draw at the SCG was rain-assisted, but let’s not begrudge them a morsel of solace. Empires can be built from the scarcest of foundations, and England certainly qualify on that basis. This was the meekest performance from the oldest enemy in my recollection. They have been blanked before and have lost 19 of their past 25 Tests in Australia, but those series had fibres of resistance woven with a desire for revenge.

Politicians revel in the notion of “not wasting a good crisis”. The England and Wales Cricket Board is in more strife than Boris Johnson, so this is the prime opportunity to pivot on a humongous crisis. Good luck to them as they seek new coaches, better players and perhaps a new captain. Their system of first-class cricket has become dysfunctional as it genuflects to white-ball competitions and, in particular, the magic potion of The Hundred.

Cricket Australia has at times veered dangerously toward 20-over competitions and the lucre they deliver, elbowing the Sheffield Shield into a cobwebbed cornice of semi relevance. Fortunately, the excesses of sandpaper and the home loss to India have forced the Shield back to the front of mind. COVID-19 considerations apart, there has been a grudging recognition that first-class, red-ball cricket is of real importance, not just as an arena for talent to emerge, but also as the investment vehicle for the international game.

Scott Boland’s success came as no great surprise to those who have seen him battle though 10 seasons of Shield cricket, winning player of the year in 2019. During that time he has picked up the knowledge that he put on show this summer. He also taught a few lessons along the way. The strength of the Shield is vital to Australian Test cricket, just as the strength of County Championship is to England.

Cricket Australia has to concede that its board members must have among their curriculum vitae serious knowledge of the structures of the game and an idea of how it is played. Picking “independent” directors with no knowledge, and sometimes no interest, in cricket is a path to ruin.

The contrast between cricket in England and Australia is highlighted right now. You can argue about the absolute standard of the series as much as you like, but the Ashes will always command the highest level of fan intensity: 140-year-old rivalries are hard to find and harder to dismiss.

England have a job to get better, but just how good are Australia?

It’s hard to see how Australia’s bowling could improve much. The home side won despite Josh Hazelwood missing four Tests, and began the summer with the shock international retirement of James Pattinson, widely acknowledged as the fourth man in the fast-bowling rotation. Enter Jhye Richardson, Michael Neser and then Boland. Added to that pace battery is Cameron Green, who has promised much and now looks very much like delivering. Green’s batting grew as the series progressed: his 74 in Hobart was as commanding as it was crafted. His three wickets in the second innings precipitated the English demise, just as they found a sliver of hope.

Green, as the genuine all-rounder, will make the team balance even more palatable when they go to Pakistan. It will be late season in March and the pitches are more likely to spin, giving Mitchell Swepson the opportunity he has been denied the past two summers at the SCG where Australia have not won. Nathan Lyon and Swepson together would have won both those contests, but when coach and selectors don’t have the knowledge or the gumption to change the team balance for the prevailing conditions then there can be no blaming players or late declarations.

Winning at home on seaming pitches with an all-time great bowling attack is terrific. Winning away from home will require deeper thinking.

Travis Head and Usman Khawaja were just about even money for the first Test in Brisbane and those odds proved correct. The two lefties were outstanding. Now their challenge becomes taking on bowlers on lower and slower surfaces with spin dominating. If you get past Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf then tweakers Shadab Khan and Nauman Ali will examine their footwork.

Steve Smith, David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne did not dominate England, but the pitches were bowler-friendly, and that was England’s “strength”. Smith, Warner and Labuschagne did what they had to to scrape together winning totals. Making centuries is great for the scrapbook but holding the Ashes was the main game. All three have plenty of runs left in them, but Pakistan will serve up a good contest in speed and spin.

Marcus Harris promised a bit, delivered a bit and was dropped for batsmen in top form. He will get a trip away because the glaring weakness in Australian cricket is at the top of the order. Harris has shown that he can play long innings in Shield cricket; the trick is taking that to the next level.

Smith is 32 and has plenty of cricket to come. The opening pair in the final Test of the Ashes, Warner and Khawaja, were each 35 years old and that should raise warning flags. Henry Hunt, Bryce Street and Harris need opportunities, and who knows what will ever become of Will Pucovski?

Wicketkeeper Alex Carey has Josh Inglis circling in the shallow waters, and that is a good thing for competitive pressure.

Quite rightly the current team should be congratulated; they were way above the fight presented by England. The next challenge is only six weeks away and promises a sterner examination and, therefore, a clearer perspective of just how good the Ashes thrashing was.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...lot-more-about-australia-20220122-p59qci.html
 
Australian selector George Bailey may as well join the circus, because his job in the next 12 months is going to require one of the all-time balancing acts.

After a fantastic 4-0 Ashes victory over England on home soil, Australia will now turn their attention to a five-game T20 series against Sri Lanka next month.

The squad was announced on Tuesday afternoon, with 16 players named - but there were some notable names missing.

Despite their performances in the recent T20 World Cup, David Warner and Mithell Marsh have both been rested, with selectors looking ahead to the upcoming Test tour of Pakistan.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Bailey spoke about the absence of Marsh from the upcoming T20 series, as well as the promising signs before the three-game series in March.

“I believe the boards are still working through some of the minor details around that tour," Bailey said.

"Once that gets the formal tick of approval, we will announce the squad. We are reasonably well down the track. The two briefings I have sat in on, the security sounds very robust and very thorough.

"We are taking him (Marsh) through what the rest of the year looks like in terms of tours coming up and trying to find times for players to get some rest and rejuvenation.

"I really feel for the Western Australian contingent at the moment and their struggle to actually get that time at home."

Bailey also denied any player has said they won't be available for Pakistan, despite potential concerns over security as well as bubble fatigue.

After the Test series in Pakistan, Australia will also be away for tours of Sri Lanka (June-July) and India (September), before a home T20 World Cup defence in October and home Test series next summer.

It makes the job of Bailey - who didn't put a foot wrong during The Ashes - extremely difficult.

On top of that, Australian selectors will have to deal with the ongoing COVID dramas across the country, with no certainties surrounding the return of Sheffield Shield cricket.

“Whether we need to or not, I’m not entirely sure what opportunity we will get," he said.

"The one thing we have to be really okay with is, we have to accept what we get at the moment and be flexible.

"One of the great things and one of the reasons we performed so well in The Ashes, is because we had a number of players get a fair bank of Shield cricket in before Christmas.

"Whether it’s before Pakistan or not, you’d certainly hope there is an opportunity for some Shield cricket at some stage."


The potential lack of Shield cricket heading into three massive overseas Test tours is a difficult hoop for Bailey to jump through - but it's also difficult for players vying for selection.

Bailey admitted that players like Marsh and Glenn Maxwell 'would not be precluded' for Test appearances, despite a lack of red-ball cricket.

“There’s a number of players – I think Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Marsh, Ashton Agar and Mitch Swpeson are a handful of guys off the top of my head who have, due to the nature of scheduling, played a lot of one format and not as much of another," he said.

"They are still working hard at their game, and I know the three formats are incredibly different, but there are some skillsets that do cross-over.

"If the opportunity arises and we do see fit, we certainly won’t preclude them."

One man who won't be on the plane to Pakistan however is fast bowler Jhye Richardson.

The 25-year-old will play in the upcoming T20 series against Sri Lanka, but will be rested for the Test series as he continues to manage a previous shoulder injury.

“Each player – Jhye is no different – is dealt with on an individual level," Bailey said.

"Jhye is highly talented across all formats, he is a player we have long-term expectations and hopes for.

"He still hasn’t played a huge amount of cricket since coming back from the injuries he has had over the past couple of years, so we are making sure he gets the opportunity to build up the way he needs to is really important.

"I think Jhye will be comfortable and get enough cricket."

https://www.sportingnews.com/au/cri...marsh-david-warner/1v20knym8f10u1qq98unt9isxb
 
No Australia player has indicated they want to opt out of touring Pakistan with selectors "well down the track" to finalising a Test squad, despite uncertainty about the resumption of the Marsh Sheffield Shield season.

National selector George Bailey said today he believed security plans were "very, very robust and very, very thorough" after multiple briefings for what would be the first Australian tour of the country since Mark Taylor's men visited in 1998.

"I believe the boards are still working through some of the minor details around that tour, so once that gets the formal tick of approval then we'll announce the squad post that, but we're reasonably well down the track," Bailey told reporters today.

The Test squad will largely pick itself following the successful 4-0 drubbing of England in this summer's Ashes series, with the emergence of Scott Boland as a reliable workhorse allowing selectors to rest Jhye Richardson.

Allrounder Mitch Marsh can be locked in for the touring party after he was rested from next month's Dettol T20 series, as was opener David Warner.

Less clear is how much Shield cricket selectors will have to see to finalise their squad, with the Western Australia border situation further complicating matters.

An 11-day break after the KFC BBL final, as per previous years, would see Shield cricket resuming about February 9.

That would seem to allow a maximum of two Shield rounds before the Australian squad would likely depart in the last week of February ahead of a Test series scheduled to begin on March 3 in Karachi.

"Whether we need to (see any Shield cricket) or not, I'm not entirely sure what opportunity we will get," Bailey said today.

"But the one thing that I think we have to be really just okay with is that we've got to accept what we get at the moment and be flexible.

"I think one of the great things and possibly one of the reasons the players performed so well in the Ashes was there were a number of players who got a good bank of Shield cricket in prior to that series.

"Whether it's for Pakistan or not, you'd certainly hope that there is an opportunity for some Shield cricket at some stage just because of the competition and to continue to see guys improving and getting the opportunity to show their wares."

Travis Head was today named in Australia's T20 squad to face Sri Lanka on the back of his outstanding performances in the Ashes series, and Bailey said there was no reason the reverse couldn't be true with in-form white-ball players pushing for spots on overseas tours.

"I know that the three formats are incredibly different but there are skillsets that do cross over, so if the opportunity arises and we do see a fit, then it certainly won't preclude (selection)," Bailey said.

"There's a number of players – Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Marsh, Ash Agar, Mitch Swepson off the top of my head who, just through the nature of scheduling and different opportunities, have played a lot of one format and not as much of another."

Bailey said the plight of the Western Australian contingent was a concern for selectors following that state's government pushing back its plans to reopen its border to the eastern states.

CA and the WACA are working through plans with individual players to get some time at home and some rest but many face the prospect of not being able to return home again for several months.

"Some I believe are planning to get home as soon as they can, some I believe are working on plans to stay on the eastern seaboard and remain able to move about and have a few more freedoms," Bailey said.

"It just depends on whether some of those guys are planning to be in Pakistan, whether some have got a bit of a longer break at home as well.

"Trying to find times for players to get some rest, some physical rejuvenation, whether that be in the gym, some mental rejuvenation (is important).

"I really feel for the Western Australian contingent at the moment and their struggle to actually to get that time at home."

Foxtel, Kayo to broadcast Pakistan tour

Meanwhile, Foxtel has inked a deal with the Pakistan Cricket Board for Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports to broadcast Australia's drought-breaking tour in March, as well as the next two seasons of the Pakistan Super League.

The deal gives subscribers to Foxtel or Kayo Sports certainty more than five weeks out from the opening Test that they will be able to watch Pat Cummins lead Australia in their first Test match on Pakistani soil since 1998.

The early deal is a welcome change of pace from Foxtel's recent habit of striking last-minute deals for Australia's away tours, although it does come less than 48 hours before the opening match of this year's PSL in Karachi. In addition to the PSL this year and next, the deal includes all Pakistan's home matches until April 2023 to be broadcast on Foxtel and Kayo.

Qantas Tour of Pakistan 2022

March 3-7: First Test, Karachi

March 12-16: Second Test, Rawalpindi

March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore

March 29: First ODI, Lahore

March 31: Second ODI, Lahore

April 2: Third ODI, Lahore

April 5: Only T20, Lahore
 
One question ?


Why suddenly so much affection for Pakistan cricket?
Dont think it has to be with beating India in WT20..that we have done in CT final as well?
 
Look guys, first of all this 3 test match series points count for wtc. So CA knows if they send b team or c team they will most probably lose and at the end it can cost them final ticket to wtc.
Pakistan team is right now doing good in all formats and they can certainly challenge your skills, and you would want to test yourself by challenging the best.
The trolling that england and newzealand got after cancelling the tour of Pakistan. Australia would try to be in every one's good books by touring pakistan by getting the laurels which england and newzealand fail to get.
Lastly, no player is invinsible, for example steve smith avoids pakistan tour and some new guy took his place and scored match winning runs in atleast 2 tests that too on subcontinent pitches, he can challenge his position after that. Steve smith is going through bad patch and he knows it very well himself, same goes to warner, starc. If it was only limited overs tour, than i would have given guarantee to all that they would have send d team to pakistan, test match is different thing altogether.
CA will tour this time just control covid as that can be their excuse on which no will troll them because covid is a reason so many tour got postponed. So people will treat this postponement same as others.
 
One question ?


Why suddenly so much affection for Pakistan cricket?
Dont think it has to be with beating India in WT20..that we have done in CT final as well?

No affection. Its just that over the last 5 years or so Pakistan has successfully conducted few PSL seasons and international series which is seen by people around the world and that helps clarifying the apprehensions some teams have had.

Also for how long one or two teams can keep on avoiding playing cricket in a country when the country keeps on conducting leagues with close to 30-35 foreign players (Including from Aus, Nz, Eng) as well as international tours. After some time when excuses you have been using are not valid as manifested by the events happening and you start to look silly if you still keep on using them as straightforwardly.

We can never know for sure until Australian team actually tours but, them seriously considering to tour is already more than anything they have done in the last two decades which shows that the excuses are dwindling and also as mentioned if they have had any apprehensions they are either somewhat clarified or are on there way to be.
 
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The 15th edition of the India Premier League (IPL) in 2022 is set to get underway in the last week of March. The T20 league though will coincide with Australia’s cricket tour of Pakistan which starts of March 3.

The IPL 2022 which will be a 10-team affair and will run till the end of May this year may see Australian star cricketers like Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith and Pat Cummins may leave the Pakistan tour early.

Australian national selector George Bailey has clarified that IPL-bound players will be allowed to go home in the middle of the series before flying to India to participate in the mega event.

“Absolutely it’s tough for the multi-format guys to work out that balance of where they do get time to physically replenish their energy reserves. Particularly for fast bowlers (around) when they get the time to make sure that they fit and strong and able to deal with the workload. But that’s part and parcel of the modern cricketers’ life”, said Bailey.

The former Australian ODI skipper said that while the players are handsomely rewarded for being a part of the cash-rich league, they will also get to learn a lot from the best players across the globe.

“It continues to be a tournament that offers a huge amount for players both from a learning perspective and I don’t think the monetary side of things can be discounted. For a reasonably brief period of work the payday is pretty enormous for a certain percentage of them”, he said.

“But I do think more so than that is the opportunity to play with the best players around the world and to have access to a different range of coaches. I think that’s a terrific opportunity,” Bailey added.

Australian cricketers are on edge barely a month before their first tour of Pakistan in 24 years amid an uptick in terror attacks in the Asian nation, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Wednesday (August 26). “We’re all toey about it,” a source close to the team told the newspaper, using an informal Australian term for being anxious or worried.

Australia are scheduled to play three Tests, three one-day internationals and one Twenty20 match in Pakistan starting March 3. Selector Bailey told reporters on Wednesday that security arrangements would be ‘very, very robust and very, very thorough’.

“I believe the boards are still working through some of the minor details around that tour, so once that gets the formal tick of approval then we`ll announce the squad post that, but we`re reasonably well down the track,” he added.

Australia has not toured Pakistan since 1998 due to security concerns, instead playing its away matches in the United Arab Emirates. Though some international touring sides have returned to Pakistan in recent years, New Zealand abruptly halted a tour there in September citing security issues and England shortly afterwards cancelled a planned tour.

(with Reuters inputs)

https://zeenews.india.com/cricket/b...ay-leave-tour-early-for-ipl-2022-2430863.html
 
I think the fact that Australia has not set foot in Pakistan for 24 years since 1998 has probably got to them and invited some curiosity in terms off what's it like to tour and play cricket there?
 
I think the fact that Australia has not set foot in Pakistan for 24 years since 1998 has probably got to them and invited some curiosity in terms off what's it like to tour and play cricket there?

Some of them have toured in U-19 games during the 2000’s. I feel like Fox have played a key role here and it will be great TV / PR for them.
 
No affection. Its just that over the last 5 years or so Pakistan has successfully conducted few PSL seasons and international series which is seen by people around the world and that helps clarifying the apprehensions some teams have had.

Also for how long one or two teams can keep on avoiding playing cricket in a country when the country keeps on conducting leagues with close to 30-35 foreign players (Including from Aus, Nz, Eng) as well as international tours. After some time when excuses you have been using are not valid as manifested by the events happening and you start to look silly if you still keep on using them as straightforwardly.

We can never know for sure until Australian team actually tours but, them seriously considering to tour is already more than anything they have done in the last two decades which shows that the excuses are dwindling and also as mentioned if they have had any apprehensions they are either somewhat clarified or are on there way to be.

I hope Aus tour go as per schedule; but knowing how RR has been operating these days, and sounding overexcited and bombastic, we may see a (realistic) situation where Aus would postpone the tour or truncate it to 1/2 exhibitionary T20s with their C side touring us
Still curious what really motivated them to tour Pakistan , and (hopefully ) skipping some part of overly lucrative IPL (given quarantine requirements)
 
West Australian Test hopefuls Josh Inglis, Mitch Marsh and Ashton Agar will not get the chance to play any red ball cricket before the Pakistan tour.

All three are in the frame for the three-Test series, which begins in Karachi on March 3.

But WA’s Sheffield Shield season will not resume until the borders open, meaning their selection hopes rest on white ball and training form.

Fox Cricket understands the Shield season is slated to recommence on February 9, though this is not locked in yet.

States are yet to be formally told where the fixtures will be and who they will be against, though Victoria and NSW have already played each other three times, which is the maximum under protocols agreed upon last year.

To constitute a season, each state must play seven matches, including at least one against every other team and no more than three.

South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland have all played five matches, while NSW and Victoria have a busy month ahead after notching just the three games so far.

Once each team has played seven, a final will be scheduled between the top two sides, likely in late March.

Because WA won’t play until at least early March, it means one other state will also have to miss out on a game while the other four states go up against one another.

“I really feel for the Western Australian contingent at the moment and their struggle to actually get that time at home,” Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey said earlier this week.

He added: “There’s a number of players – I think Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Marsh, Ashton Agar and Mitch Swpeson are a handful of guys off the top of my head who have, due to the nature of scheduling, played a lot of one format and not as much of another.

“They are still working hard at their game, and I know the three formats are incredibly different, but there are some skillsets that do cross over.

“If the opportunity arises and we do see fit, we certainly won’t preclude them.”

While Cricket Australia works through the remainder of the Sheffield Shield season, states are waiting on answers around the WNCL and the March Cup.

The immediate futures of both are unclear. In the WNCL, South Australia and Western Australia are yet to play a match.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricke...h/news-story/f2586326e1772c60bfe476cc98da2b5a
 
I hope Aus tour go as per schedule; but knowing how RR has been operating these days, and sounding overexcited and bombastic, we may see a (realistic) situation where Aus would postpone the tour or truncate it to 1/2 exhibitionary T20s with their C side touring us
Still curious what really motivated them to tour Pakistan , and (hopefully ) skipping some part of overly lucrative IPL (given quarantine requirements)

It does not matter whether Australia sends full strength or C side. Life of the C side players is not less precious than of any other Australian player and whoever comes, it will prove they would not have any security concern and that will open up the way for future major tours.
 
It does not matter whether Australia sends full strength or C side. Life of the C side players is not less precious than of any other Australian player and whoever comes, it will prove they would not have any security concern and that will open up the way for future major tours.

Same thing has happened with other teams. Some teams sent their C team initially (Sri Lanka and WI being glaring examples), and their follow up tours were with full strength squad. C strength teams are still incredibly meaningful in the long term.
 
Australia remain confident a near full-strength squad will tour Pakistan with only a few players still holding security fears.

Cricket Australia's board is expected to approve its first tour to the country in 24 years on Friday, happy with the pre-trip security briefing.

There were suggestions as recently as last week there was trepidation from some players over the trip, after a reported recent rise in terror attacks.

But captain Pat Cummins on Thursday confirmed most players were comfortable with the tour going ahead, while understanding and accepting a few may not make the trip.

"I think we'll get close to a full-strength squad," Cummins said.

"There is still a little bit of work to do. We have received a lot of information and it has been great.

"All the pre-tour security and biosecurity work has been done and it's been fantastic.

"There are a couple of players still keen to get a bit more information but everyone is really pumped and feeling relatively comfortable.

"If anyone doesn't make the tour it is absolutely okay, we will back them for sure."

Cummins comments come after fellow quick Josh Hazlewood told cricket.com.au he wouldn't be surprised if some players didn't make the tour.

Australia's players are scheduled to leave the country in a little over three weeks, ahead of the first Test in Karachi from March 3.

Matches will follow in Rawalpindi and Lahore provided CA approves of the current schedule.

Cummins admitted he was unsure how selectors would squeeze down the Test XI, with Scott Boland making a case to keep his spot in the fast-bowling cartel.

Hazlewood is also due back from injury, while Australia have already made the call to rest Jhye Richardson.

Complicating the matter further is uncertainty around the resumption of the Sheffield Shield before the tour, with Western Australia's closed border threatening to leave them sidelined.

Selectors are also unsure whether to pick a squad for traditional spinning subcontinent wickets or greener decks, with Pakistan's best bowlers since returning home mostly quicks.

"I thought about it yesterday for the first time and thought that will be a tough decision," Cummins said.

"They usually have a way of working themselves out.

"We'll have a squad of 15 who did really well in the Ashes. Crystal ball, I have no idea.

"I don't even know what the wickets are going to look like over there."

https://7news.com.au/sport/cricket/most-aust-stars-happy-to-tour-pakistan-c-5554898
 
Pakistani wickets differ depending on where we are playing. I guess Pindi will suit aussies as it's a quicker surface while karachi and lahore will suit pakistan more
 
maxwell, starc and wade are likely to miss the tour. Still having david warner, marnus, smith, cummins, hazlewood on board is more than decent stuff. If all goes well, we might even see the likes of warner,smith, cummins signing up for psl as well next year.
 
I don’t hold any grudges against Wade because I have read somewhere that the guy has gone through a lot of difficulties in his life which has affected him psychologically to some extent.

I know Maxwell has also had serious issues with depression, but skipping national duty (for marriage) and making yourself available for IPL is quite hypocritical
 
maxwell, starc and wade are likely to miss the tour. Still having david warner, marnus, smith, cummins, hazlewood on board is more than decent stuff. If all goes well, we might even see the likes of warner,smith, cummins signing up for psl as well next year.

Is this your speculation or did you read this somewhere? Starc will be a big miss if true. Everyone would love to see him march down Pakistani wickets bowling to Babar.
 
Is this your speculation or did you read this somewhere? Starc will be a big miss if true. Everyone would love to see him march down Pakistani wickets bowling to Babar.

Not sure if Starc will make the xi espically if the pitches are spin friendly.
 
Pakistani wickets offer just about enough for both pacers and spinners. Spinners come into play on Day 4 and 5 and the pacers will always have a chance with the new ball and with reverse swing when the ball gets older.
 
Everyday we're hearing more positive news regarding arguably the most awaited cricket tour in Pakistan's history.
 
When will they announce the squad?

Enough of this "I'm really excited to tour but I haven't officially announced that I'm touring" rubbish
 
"As a player, I can't wait to go to Pakistan for the white-ball leg," Aaron Finch, Australia's white-ball captain, told Sportstar from Melbourne.

"That's one part of the world that's been deprived of (international) cricket for a long time now, and world cricket's in a much better place when Pakistan's thriving as a cricket nation," he added.

Will Pucovski returning to Shield cricket, hoping for quick Australia comeback

International teams have been reluctant to travel to Pakistan since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009, though international cricket is finding its feet again in the country. But last year, England's scheduled tour of Pakistan for two T20Is in mid-October was cancelled, following New Zealand's last-minute withdrawal from its tour of the country due to a security threat.

Finch exalted Pakistan's "rich history in the game. I think we've to do everything to make sure the game is as sustainable as it can be all around the world. We are doing the game a disservice if we don't do that. And as far as I'm aware, we will have a full-strength pool to pick the squad from."

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cric...cricket-for-long-time-now/article38375780.ece
 
Am perplexed by Australia's new found love for Pakistan out of the blue. What's changed? Eying PSL contracts down the line?
 
Am perplexed by Australia's new found love for Pakistan out of the blue. What's changed? Eying PSL contracts down the line?

It's Aaron Finch only, he also kept over-praising Pakistan in their 2018 tour. But I am surprised to see Pat Cummins and a few others having a love for Pakistan all of a sudden.
 
It's Aaron Finch only, he also kept over-praising Pakistan in their 2018 tour. But I am surprised to see Pat Cummins and a few others having a love for Pakistan all of a sudden.

Maybe it's a combination of things ie Dean Jones coaching in the PSL, Michael Slater, Mathew Hayden, Brad Hogg commenting in the PSL, Shane Watson, Chris Lynn, Ben Cutting and Co playing in the PSL. Mathew Hayden joining the Pakistani team as a consultant for the T20 WC. Erin Holland working in the PSL as a broadcaster.

Pakistani players playing in the Big Bash League. Overall the PCB has to be praised for taking baby steps and being patient and the results are now showing.
 
Am perplexed by Australia's new found love for Pakistan out of the blue. What's changed? Eying PSL contracts down the line?

Its because Australia are scheduled to play Pakistan soon and the reporters are asking questions about the Pakistan tour. The players are not just making these statements out of the blue, they are being asked questions by the media.
 
Marcus Harris will get another crack at reclaiming the Test opening spot he lost in Hobart, with selectors set to take him on next month’s tour of Pakistan.

However, fellow Victorian Glenn Maxwell won’t be taken on the historical tour as a subcontinental specialist after flagging months ago that he would not be moving his March wedding to partner, Vini Raman.

Getting axed from the Australian Test team can often mean falling back a long way in the queue, but selectors have kept faith in Harris and still see him as the next cab off the rank.

David Warner and Usman Khawaja – who will be the man of the moment on the tour with his Pakistani heritage – would get first crack at opening the batting, but Harris would be well and truly in the mix, particularly given Khawaja’s flexibility to move down the order.

Selectors were adamant they didn’t want to drop Harris during the Ashes, but Khawaja’s herculean twin centuries in the Sydney Ashes Test made his case irresistible.

Harris averages just 25 from 14 Tests as an opener, but selectors felt like he’d turned a corner with his match-shaping 76 against England at the MCG on Boxing Day, which was the highest score of a low-scoring affair.

Warner and Khawaja are both 35 and selectors need to start putting in place a succession plan for who will take over at the top of the order.

Harris can take confidence from the fact that at 29 years of age, he is still being seen as a longer-term option in Test cricket.

Meanwhile, there was a feeling Maxwell would be a great asset on the tour of Pakistan, given his success in India back in 2017 as a Test batsman.

The breakout summers of Travis Head and Cameron Green have Australia’s middle-order set in stone for the foreseeable future, but Maxwell’s skills and handy off-spin would have presented an intriguing package as a back-up option.

But Maxwell made it clear after the World Cup that his wedding would take precedence.

Asked at the time would his fiance consider moving the wedding again – after it was already postponed during Covid, Maxwell said: “Not a chance. We’ve already moved it a couple of times so I think this is it.”

Fast bowler Jhye Richardson will not be taken to Pakistan, but Australian miracle man Scott Boland will make his first overseas tour.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...n/news-story/05d6df021bacb354ee9f498855d2515e
 
The significance of this tour of Pakistan isn’t lost on a single member of our touring party.

A common theme among the players is how fortunate we are to be here when a whole generation of Australian cricketers never got to experience what it was to play in this part of the world.

We know this isn’t a normal tour.

It’s a special moment in our lives and careers.

We want to embrace the unknowns. From a cricketing point of view, we’ve not played in Pakistan since Mark Taylor was skipper in 1998 and performing in these conditions represents a great challenge for every player. And from a personal perspective, we want to absorb and appreciate every element of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Personally, I can’t wait to hear the Rawalpindi crowd for the first time on Friday.

There was a cool moment during training on Tuesday when the call to prayer from Rawalpindi echoed across the ground with the mountains off in the distance. I also found out that day that the first sessions on every Friday of this series will be two-and-a-half hours, with an hour-long lunch break for prayers, because it is the holy day of the week. We’re learning all the time over here.

I asked Usman Khawaja to put together a trivia quiz for the guys after we arrived to give them a better appreciation of the culture and history of Pakistan. It was a bit of fun – Uz was quiz master with Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith the contestants – but the point of the exercise was to deepen our understanding of the country we’re in and its rich traditions.

(Smithy won, for those wondering).

Uz also spoke to us about the opportunity we have to make a difference and bring happiness to millions of people across Pakistan during this tour. It’s been quite moving for us to be alongside him on his return to his country of birth and it clearly means the world to him to think we might inspire a new generation of Pakistani cricketers over the coming weeks.

Uz will no doubt be a fan favourite here, as he should be, but this will also be the first opportunity Pakistani fans have had to see greats of the Australian game like Dave Warner or Smithy in person. This might be their first and last opportunity to do that, depending on future scheduling. I suspect we’ll be talking about this trip for many years to come.

At the presentation in Hobart after the final Ashes Test this summer, Smithy came over to me and said, ‘I can’t wait to play overseas again.’ I feel the same way.

I’m in my late 20s, which usually are considered the peak years for a fast bowler, and I’ve hardly played any Test cricket over the last couple of years due to Covid-19 and scheduling. One of the great experiences of playing international cricket is testing yourself in different conditions around the world. I can’t wait to experience the local conditions here in Pakistan and I know the boys feel the same way.

I’m looking forward to watching our younger players in action. Cam Green has been a Test player for more than a year but hasn’t had an opportunity to play outside of Australia until now. Even someone like Marnus, with 23 Tests to his name, has only played six of those abroad.

This is an important tour from a Cricket Australia perspective, too. We have welcomed so many wonderful touring teams in our country over the years, and it’s great to be on the road again. That’s what international cricket is all about. We are the fourth Test team to tour Pakistan since teams were permitted back here and that’s something everyone is proud of. Personally, I can’t think of a better set of circumstances to kick-off life as a touring captain.

The effort and planning that has gone into making this series happen is extraordinary.

I was told it was a 15,000-to-20,000 person operation to ferry us from the airport to the hotel here in Islamabad. I don’t doubt it. We didn’t spot a single car on the freeway for the entire 30 minute commute and there were police and commandos stationed every couple of hundred metres, not to mention those who were part of our convoy.

The boys were a bit lost for words when we hopped off the flight from Melbourne to Islamabad and straight into a military-style bus on the tarmac. They were tapping the windows because they were five or six inches thick! None of us had experienced anything quite like it before. It was also quite surreal when we took the 10 minute drive from the hotel to the stadium in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. The entire route had been shut down. No people except for security personnel. Roller doors down on all the shops.

We’re fortunate that so many people have put in so much effort to allow us to enjoy our cricket here. The ground itself is lovely and the wicket looks really good. We’re up in the north of Pakistan – a little over 200 kilometres from the Khyber Pass – and the weather is quite cool in these parts given we’re at the end of the winter season.

We know our movements will be restricted, which we’ve become pretty accustomed to playing through the pandemic these last two years. We prepared accordingly.

In addition to the PlayStations and card games, we’ve brought a basketball ring and hired a golf simulator with a big projector and nets that we’re going to roll up and take with us around the country. Mitch Starc is the commissioner of a matchplay tournament for which 18 of us have signed up. It hasn’t had the best of starts: Josh Hazlewood accidentally hit the machine and snapped Travis Head’s driver. You can imagine how that went down.

But it’s all a bit of fun. It’s important to not have everyone locked up in their rooms all day and these things help to build camaraderie.

Marnus has also brought with him a full-on commercial coffee machine, 30 kilos of beans and about 1000 litres of oat milk. It’s a proper set-up. He even does the whole latte art-thing with the love heart in the milk.

Most importantly, it’s directly opposite my room.

I’m giving it a good work out.

https://www.codesports.com.au/crick...t/news-story/d3de2bb40d2a792ad8a3411db92ceb0e
 
There was a cool moment during training on Tuesday when the call to prayer from Rawalpindi echoed across the ground with the mountains off in the distance. I also found out that day that the first sessions on every Friday of this series will be two-and-a-half hours, with an hour-long lunch break for prayers, because it is the holy day of the week. We’re learning all the time over here.

Lovely observations. :)
 
So far the Aussies have been a credit to their nation.

Said all the right things and didn't run home after the Peshawar blast, as some other nations would have done.
 
Speaking in pre-2nd Test presser:

"It has been a great tour, we have thoroughly enjoyed it as a playing group. We were really well looked after in Islamabad and it's the same in Karachi. We've had a really nice hotel, good food and we've been well looked after""

"Every time we leave the hotel to go to the ground, I think it hits home how lucky we are to be you know so well looked after all the locals..... they literally stop what they are doing to get us to go to the stadium which doesn't get unnoticed"

"We are really thankful for the lengths that everyone's gone to make this Test series happen"

"We've loved it and can't wait for the next 2 Tests - Its a very special series"
 
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Speaking in pre-2nd Test presser:

"It has been a great tour, we have thoroughly enjoyed it as a playing group. We were really well looked after in Islamabad and it's the same in Karachi. We've had a really nice hotel, good food and we've been well looked after""

"Every time we leave the hotel to go to the ground, I think it hits home how lucky we are to be you know so well looked after all the locals..... they literally stop what they are doing to get us to go to the stadium which doesn't get unnoticed"

"We are really thankful for the lengths that everyone's gone to make this Test series happen"

"We've loved it and can't wait for the next 2 Tests - Its a very special series"

Pakistani hospitality is out of the planet, I remember how the Indian team was treated like royalty during the 2004 tour. Ppl really appreciate the sport and have great respect for the athletes in Pakistan...
 
reminds me of when steyn did same thing in pakistan to help SA win a series here.

Yeah, only that, this series will be a drawn one. I don't see Australia bowling Pakistan out twice, the wickets created for this tour has been terrible.
 
Yeah, only that, this series will be a drawn one. I don't see Australia bowling Pakistan out twice, the wickets created for this tour has been terrible.

It depends how much they get and how long they give Pakistan to bat for me they need 220 in 2 sessions which will give them a lead of 340ish which is gamble.
 
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