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ISLAMABAD: Australia’s men’s cricket team have touched down in Islamabad on Sunday for their first tour to Pakistan in nearly 24 years.
The 18-man squad shared photos from their Qantas charter flight from Melbourne into Islamabad. Vice-captain Steve Smith, Islamabad-born Usman Khawaja and spinners Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson all shared their excitement for the three-Test campaign that begins on Friday in Rawalpindi.
Senior batsman Steve Smith posted a picture on Twitter of the 35-strong Australia tour party inside their charter flight’s cabin after it touched down in Islamabad. Australia had been training in Melbourne in preparation for the long-awaited tour, observing pre-departure protocols to limit their exposure to COVID-19.
The team, which was accompanied on its flight over by Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley, will be confined to quarters for 24 hours after arrival, before intense training ahead of the first Test starting March 4. They will be in a high-security bubble for the duration of their six-week stay.
This is also Australia’s first Test tour in three years. Australia’s strict border rules during the pandemic have meant the Test side have only played at home since their 2-2 Ashes series draw in England back in 2019, postponing planned tours of Bangladesh in mid-2020 and South Africa in early 2021.
Welcome @patcummins30
Great to have you and the Australian side here.#PAKvAUS #BoysAreReady 👊👊 pic.twitter.com/9odDz0p7E2— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 27, 2022
The tour will be Pat Cummins’ first overseas Tests since taking over as captain while it will also herald the beginning of the post-Justin Langer era following the coach’s resignation earlier this month.
Andrew McDonald is leading the side on an interim basis for the Test series, which moves to Karachi and then Lahore for the second and third games, as well as for the three ODIs and solitary T20I in Rawalpindi.
Australia pulled out of a tour five years earlier after a suicide blast at a Lahore church. They last played in Pakistan in 1998, winning the three-Test series 1-0 and sweeping the hosts in the three one-day internationals.
Arrived in 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/pnis0ckFeO
— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) February 27, 2022
This time around nearly 4,000 police and military personnel will be guarding the team hotel in Islamabad and the cricket stadium in Rawalpindi. Roads will be blocked off when the Australians make the 15-kilometre commute, with their team bus to be shadowed by army helicopters.
Snipers will be positioned on buildings surrounding the stadium, while nearby shops and offices have been ordered to close on match days, the interior ministry said. Similar arrangements will be in place for matches in Karachi and Lahore.
“We’ve got to a place where everyone hopping on the plane is comfortable with where it’s all sitting,” Cummins said ahead of the team’s departure. “It’s been a really thorough body of work that the security and the logistics teams have worked through.”
Australia Test squad:
Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner. On standby: Sean Abbott, Brendan Doggett, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Renshaw
Schedule:
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
