After close to a quarter of a century, the Australian cricket team has arrived in Pakistan to play a full series that includes Test matches, ODIs and T20s in three cities. The primary concern for any nation touring Pakistan is security and it is clear that the government, armed forces and other security enforcing institutions have made satisfactory arrangements to ensure all practice sessions and matches are executed safely, otherwise, Cricket Australia would not have sent a team. The importance of this tour being a success cannot be emphasized enough as it would demonstrate to other top cricketing nations that Pakistan is more than equipped to execute such bilateral series. Another challenge that must be handled with equal attention and precision is maintaining the bio-bubble throughout the series to avoid players getting Covid-19. Additionally, traffic management on match days must be planned so that the normal daily routines of citizens are not interrupted and they are not inconvenienced. Credit must also go to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) under its new Chairman Ramiz Raja for producing a world-class squad that top teams must compete against to achieve that coveted number one spot in the rankings. While they were unable to make it to the final stage of the T20 world cup, the Pakistani side under Babar Azam was simply unrecognizable, playing top notch cricket to beat formidable opponents such as India and New Zealand.
This tour should also serve as a lesson to both England and New Zealand whose unprofessional, irresponsible and most importantly unnecessary last minute cancellation of confirmed tours dealt a severe blow to the revival of international cricket in Pakistan. Their actions received valid condemnation from critics at home and abroad and both nations must make reparations now by touring Pakistan. There is still a long way to go before Pakistan completely recovers from what transpired in Lahore in 2009 when the Sri Lankan team was attacked; the country has simply not been the same since. The resurgence of terrorism in the country since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan is fast developing into a serious threat with the enemy attacking city centers and security forces with increased frequency. It is imperative that intelligence agencies along with security forces get ahead of the problem before it gets out of control. There is much excitement in the country over the Australians touring Pakistan and one hopes that the cricket is competitive and entertaining and that the series ends on a high note.
