The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket Australia on Friday announced the revised itinerary of the Australia cricket team’s tour of Pakistan next month for three Tests, three ODIs and one T20I.
The tour will start and end in Rawalpindi with the opening Test to be played from March 4 to 8 and the four white-ball matches to be played from March 29 to April 5.
The change in the venue of first Test means that the second Test will be played in Karachi from March 12 to 16 and the third in Lahore from March 21 to 25.
“The Cricket Australia has formally approved its side’s five-week tour and confirmed that its best combination of players will visit Pakistan for the first time in 24 years. We are really excited to host Pat Cummins and his players, and look forward to a competitive series. While Australia will arrive at the back of strong performance in their home series against England, our team has been playing excellent cricket resulting in our players sweeping the ICC awards. This braces for a keenly contested series, something that the fans will thoroughly enjoy and remember for a long time,” the PCB said in a statement.
“The schedule has been revised to ease logistical and operational challenges as well as to avoid Pakistan Day rehearsals, which usually commence in Islamabad in the second week of March.”
The Tests will be part of the ICC World Test Championship, while the ODIs are linked to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League from which the top eight sides, including hosts India, will qualify directly for the 2023 fifty-over World Cup, according to the statement.
Schedule:
First Test: March 4 to 8 in Rawalpindi
Second Test: March 12 to 16 in Karachi
Third Test: March 21 to 25 in Lahore
First ODI: March 29 in Rawalpindi
Second ODI: March 31 in Rawalpindi
Third ODI: April 2 in Rawalpindi
T20I: April 5 in Rawalpindi
