The Cricket Australia Board has canceled the Australian men’s Australian Cricket Tour – expected to begin next month – out of concern for player safety.
Three test matches were scheduled for September, but after overtaking the Australian government, ACB chairman Bob Merriman said there was “an increased security risk for the Australian team in Pakistan.”
However, the Australian Board added that they would play their scheduled games, provided they were played in a neutral location. CA said in an official statement, “We are open to the idea of playing in the country again”.
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Pakistan is expected to host Australia for a five-match ODI series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in March. After the talks were renewed last month, PCB tried to convince CA to send its team to Pakistan to play at least two games.
On the other hand, the circuit board said she was “still waiting for a response from the certification authority,” stressing that talks were being held with them.
In May of this year, a bomb exploded near the New Zealand team hotel as they prepared for a friendly in Karachi.
According to a statement issued by the PCB, the board chairman wrote a letter to the CA chairman on January 7. The letter suggested that the CA “as part of a standard protocol and process for bilateral series” should send their reconnaissance team to Pakistan so that they could examine the security arrangements of Pakistan in presentations before visiting the country.
A spokesman for the CA, while stressing that Australia has security concerns, stressed that there is no denying that it will play in this country again.
“We want international cricket to return to Pakistan – the country has a great passion for it.
“But the safety of our players and support staff is our top priority, and we do not compromise on that. We will continue to seek the advice of a number of government agencies and our own security information and act accordingly. “
The spokesman suggested that the Pakistan series would take place in the United Arab Emirates as planned, but the competent authority might consider again the idea of playing in Pakistan in the future. “We officially referenced the PCB at the beginning of January,” they added.
The exact dates for the series have not yet been announced by PCB. There is a possibility that Steve Smith and David Warner, who have been suspended for ball manipulation, will make their international return at the end of their ban on March 29th.
