Cricket Australia reject ODIs in Pakistan

Cricket Australia say they need more time to assess the security situation in Pakistan before they consider sending teams to play matches there.

Pakistani troops

Cricket Australia are still unsure whether it's safe enough to send teams to play in Pakistan. (AAP)

Pakistan will host the five-match ODI series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates next month after Cricket Australia sought more time to assess the security situation in the South Asian country.

The PCB were hoping that they could convince Australia to play a few matches of the ODI series in Pakistan, but now they will all be played in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai from March 22-31.

Sharjah will host the first two ODIs on March 22 and 24 while the fourth and fifth ODIs will be played at Dubai on March 29 and 31, respectively. Abu Dhabi will host the third ODI on March 27.

Last year, the PCB hosted an incident-free Twenty20 series against the West Indies and some Pakistan Super League matches.

"The PCB was optimistic that it will be able to convince Cricket Australia to send its side (to Pakistan) for some matches," PCB's director of international cricket Zakir Khan said in a statement on Sunday.

"But we are disappointed for the enthusiastic and passionate cricket fans in Pakistan who will now have to wait for some more time before they can see the Australian cricket team live in action for the first time since 1998."

Australia last toured Pakistan in 1998 under the captaincy of Mark Taylor. A terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009 forced the PCB to choose the UAE as their home venue after foreign teams refused to tour Pakistan due to security fears.

Khan said CA have confirmed that they will send their security expert to oversee plans during next month's eight PSL matches in Karachi and Lahore "and will also speak with the ICC-recommended PCB security consultant."

Over the last two years the PCB have stepped up their efforts to win back the confidence of foreign teams that it's safe to play in Pakistan.

Lahore hosted a three-match Twenty20 series against a World XI in 2017 in which Australia test captain Tim Paine and fast bowler Ben Cutting participated.

The series was followed by a Twenty20 between Sri Lanka and Pakistan before Karachi hosted the West Indies in April last year.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world