After New Zealand and England cancelling their tours, Pakistan finally has some good news. According to reports of PTI, Australia has decided to tour Pakistan in the coming year. This will be the first time the Aussie side will be stepping a foot in the Pakistani soil after 1998. The two teams are set to play 3 test matches in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore, which will be a part of the World Test Championship. While they will also play 4 white ball matches, all of them will be hosted in Lahore.
Earlier in September New Zealand followed by England cancelled their tour of Pakistan following some security concerns. Hence, Australia’s arrival is going to be a huge victory for the newly appointed PCB chief Ramiz Raja. The former Pakistani player earlier thought that Australia wouldn’t want to tour them after what New Zealand and England did. PTI reported Rameez in a statement saying, “It pleases me no end that we’ll be engaged in a three-test match series, connoisseurs delight. Australia playing in our backyard will be a special treat for the fans.” The Cricket Australia’s chief too enumerated over how PCB has worked closely with CA to ensure the safety and welfare of the Australian players.
The problems for Pakistan started in 2002 when there was a bomb blast in Karachi before Australia was scheduled for a tour. Later in 2009 Sri Lankan player’s bus was attacked by terrorists which left players injured. Following this all the Pakistan tours were shifted to the UAE. In 2015 Zimbabwe became the first team to tour Pakistan after 2009 attack.