Australia will tour Pakistan for the first time in nearly 24 years when it plays three Test matches, three one-day internationals, and a Twenty20 international next year, the Pakistan Cricket Board said Monday.
Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore are scheduled to host the three Tests in March and the limited-overs portion will be played in Lahore from March 29 to April 5.
The Test matches will be part of the World Test Championship, while the ODIs will be counted toward World Cup Super League.
Mark Taylor led Australia to a 1-0 victory in the last Test series it played in Pakistan in 1998. Since then Pakistan has hosted Australia four times at neutral venues in Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.
“Australia are one of the high-performing sides and them playing in our backyard for the first time after a gap of 24 years will be a special treat for the fans,” PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said in a statement.
“Likewise, it will be a great opportunity for the Australia cricketers to not only play at our iconic venues but also feel and enjoy the respect, love and hospitality that this great country offers, something which most of their previous generation of cricketers missed out by playing offshore.”
Pakistan was off limits for hosting international cricket for almost a decade after the Sri Lanka team’s bus came under attack at Lahore in March 2009. Eight people were killed during the terror attack, and several Sri Lankan players were injured.
Pakistan also lost its status as a co-host for the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
Sri Lanka was the first team to return for a Test series, in December 2019, and was followed by Bangladesh and South Africa. Other teams have toured for limited-overs series.
Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley acknowledged the efforts of the PCB in planning next year’s tour and said he looked forward to close co-operation to finalise the operations, logistics, security and COVID-19 protocols.
“The safety and welfare of our players and staff remains our No.1 priority,” Hockley said in a statement. “We will continue to work with the PCB and relevant agencies to ensure that appropriate and sufficient arrangements are put in place for the tour.”
The PCB said a Cricket Australia delegation will visit Pakistan to meet with government officials and finalise arrangements.
Pakistan and Australia are set to meet in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup at Dubai on Thursday.
Just before the T20 World Cup, New Zealand abandoned its limited-overs tour of Pakistan due to security concerns, and England also pulled out citing player welfare concerns.
Pakistan is set to host West Indies from December 13-22 in three T20s and three ODIS between December 13-22. It will be the West Indies’ first tour of Pakistan since April 2018 when it played three T20s.
SCHEDULE
March 3-7: First Test at Karachi
March 12-16: Second Test at Rawalpindi
March 21-25: Third Test at Lahore
March 29: First ODI at Lahore
March 31: Second ODI at Lahore
April 2: Third ODI at Lahore
April 5: T20 at Lahore
-(The Age)