Cricket Australia (CA) has said some players are nervous about entering Pakistan due to safety fears.
Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed its first tour to Pakistan since 1998, comprising of three Tests, three ODIs, and a T20I
“Clearly there’s some anxiety about touring, and that’s perfectly natural given an Australian cricket team hasn’t toured Pakistan for almost 25 years,” Australian Cricket Association (ACA) chief executive Todd Greenberg told SEN. “I think we’ll have a very full squad that will go.
“We may have one or two players that won’t be comfortable despite all of the advice and guidance that we provide, and that’s okay. “Along with Cricket Australia, we’ll need to respect those players and give them our full support if they decide not to make this tour.”
Test captain Pat Cummins had also said that he would fully support anyone who opted not to travel.
“There are a couple of players still keen to get a bit more information but everyone is really pumped and feeling relatively comfortable,” he said. “If anyone doesn’t make the tour it is absolutely okay, we will back them for sure.”
Australia’s squad is expected to be named on Tuesday. Greenberg highlighted that the tour of Pakistan was an important moment for international cricket.
“The players completely understand our contribution to the global game,” he said. “We don’t have an expectation that we will sit here and expect teams to tour our country and not contribute ourselves.
“There’s been an enormous amount of work on security detail and keeping players safe. That’s priority No.1. On top of that is all the Covid protocols and the biosecurity rules and regulations.”
It must be noted that CA sent a security delegation to Pakistan in December along with government officials to determine whether it was safe for Australia to tour. The delegation gave go-ahead to the tour.
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