The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has a tricky situation at hand. The conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated yesterday with Pakistan carrying out an airstrike in Kabul. Reports suggest Pakistan hit a hospital, leaving over 400 dead. However, the Pakistani government denies the claims, stating they targeted “military installations and terrorist-support infrastructure”.
This situation could affect the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026, with 17 Australian players and coaches, including big names like Steve Smith and David Warner, expected to travel to Pakistan later this week.
The Australian government warns of travel danger in Pakistan
Earlier this month, Smartraveller, the Australian government’s official travel advisory service, warned Australian citizens not to travel to Pakistan under the current circumstances. This advisory came on March 3; the situation is much worse now.
“We continue to advise reconsider your need to travel to Pakistan overall but we now advise do not travel to Chitral in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa due to the poor security situation. We continue to advise do not travel to Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Recent military action between Pakistan and Afghanistan along shared border areas may affect the broader security environment across Pakistan. Terrorist attacks could occur randomly and without warning, inclusive of major cities such as Islamabad, Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore, including as retribution for recent Pakistan defence force strikes on Kabul, Kandahar and other locations in Afghanistan.
The security situation remains unpredictable. Terrorist and separatist groups hostile to foreign interests operate in Pakistan. The threat of terrorist attacks and kidnapping remains very high. Foreigners may be targeted. Terrorists may also target places frequented by foreigners, such as major hotels, hospitals, transport infrastructure, including trains and airports, and places of worship,” they informed.
The four major cities mentioned above will host PSL 2026 matches. In fact, Peshawar was clearly mentioned as unsafe to travel to, and it’s scheduled to host 2 matches on March 28. Rawalpindi isn’t safe either and it’s set to host 11 games.
PCB chief assures Cricket Australia of safety
According to CODE Sports, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi is trying to convince Cricket Australia (CA) that the Australian players and coaches will be safe to play PSL 2026. The Aussie contingent is scheduled to travel to Pakistan on March 20 and 21. Naqvi has assured CA that a private jet will be provided for emergency departure if the situation worsens.
However, what if the airspace has to be closed? We recently saw what happened in West Asia after a war broke out between Israel, the USA, and Iran. Tennis players like Daniil Medvedev had to travel to Oman from Dubai to leave, that too by car. Some remained stuck for days. The players and coaches will have to decide on their own, especially those with Peshawar Zalmi and Pindiz.
Australian players & coaches in PSL 2026
Multan Sultans – Steve Smith, Josh Philippe, Peter Siddle, Ashton Turner, Tim Paine (head coach)
Hyderabad Kingsmen – Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Riley Meredith, Jason Gillespie (head coach)
Karachi Kings – David Warner, Adam Zampa
Quetta Gladiators – Sam Harper, Ben McDermott, Spencer Johnson
Pindiz – Jake Fraser-McGurk
Peshawar Zalmi – Aaron Hardie
Islamabad United – Max Bryant
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