Australia Tour of Pakistan- As Australia are looking to a historic tour Pakistan after 24 years, players are very concerned about the security measures in the war-torn country. While Cricket Australia is confident of hosting the tournament in Pakistan instead of the UAE, questions loom over players safety. Follow PAK vs AUS LIVE score updates on InsideSport.IN
Increasing attacks across the country including in Lahore last week have placed the tour at risk of being cancelled or shifted from Pakistan. “We’re all toey about it,” one source close to the team told the Herald and The Age.
Australia Tour of Pakistan: Players ‘Very Concerned’, tour of Pakistan can still get in jeopardy
Australia Tour of Pakistan: Australia set to tour Pakistan with full-strength squad
Terrorism has risen significantly risen in Pakistan after the Taliban captured Kabul, as per Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid last week. A powerful bomb attack in Lahore killed at least three people, leaving 28 injured, reported the Associated Press.
According to the Express Tribune, militants have carried out 294 attacks in 2021 which killed 395 people including 86 civilians & 192 security forces. At least 629 have been wounded including 400 civilians. Pakistan has killed 188 militants and arrested 222 suspected militants during the last 12 months.
Meanwhile, national selectors George Bailey has played down concerns after West Indies toured Pakistan.
“The security sounds very, very robust and very, very thorough,” Bailey said.
“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.
Last December, CA completed a trip to Pakistan to ensure the tour is safe, added Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley.
Australia Tour of Pakistan: Players ‘Very Concerned’, tour of Pakistan can still get in jeopardy
- Australia are planning a three-match Test series, which is set to get underway on March 3. It will follow the ODI series during the full-string tour. They had last visited Pakistan under Mark Taylor in 1998.
- The players are concerned about the upcoming tour amid security concerns. Neighbours New Zealand exited the limited-overs series at the last minute. However, West Indies toured Pakistan for 3-match T20I series in December but COVID played spoilsport.
- CA are looking to send a full-strength squad with David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and coach Justin Langer rested for the upcoming Sri Lanka T20 series.
- Usman Khawaja, who scored twin centuries in Sydney during Ashes, is set to return to the country of his birth if the tour goes ahead.
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
Australia Tour of Pakistan: Players ‘Very Concerned’, tour of Pakistan can still get in jeopardy
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