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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Australia may visit Pakistan for ODI games next year

By Our Correspondent
November 20, 2018

KARACHI: Pakistan are hoping for a big breakthrough in their campaign to bring international cricket back to the country.According to sources, top Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials are confident that they can convince Cricket Australia (CA) to send their team to Pakistan to play one, or may be two One-day Internationals, next spring.

Pakistan have been a no-go zone for leading international cricket teams like Australia, who last visited the country almost two decades ago. They have hosted teams like Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and the West Indies in the recent past but a visit by Australia could certainly pave the path for regular international action in the country.

In order to line up such a visit, the PCB is willing to change the dates of their five-match ODI series against Australia which was penciled in for next March.The idea is to have the series in April so that both Pakistan and Australia can warm up for World Cup 2019 which gets underway in England in May.

CA is keen to shift the series to April and according to sources PCB is willing to accept the proposal provided the Aussies play one or two matches of the series in Pakistan. At the moment, the series is scheduled to take place in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

If the series is shifted to April then it is expected to mark the return of disgraced Australian stars Steve Smith and David Warner. Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft, who were all suspended for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal against South Africa, are due to complete their bans at the end of March.

According to a Cricinfo report, a clue as to the possibility was raised last week when CA’s interim team-performance manager Belinda Clark released the governing body’s position on player availability for the IPL, which stated “Players who are participating in the One Day International series versus Pakistan will not be released until its conclusion”.

Earlier discussions between the two boards are believed to have taken place against a backdrop of CA concern over interfering with the IPL “window”, but this now appears to have changed. The PCB, with none of its players considered for the IPL due to political tensions between Pakistan and India, will have a full ODI complement available to play in April.

One of the other factors in discussion is the PCB’s eagerness for more teams to break the nearly decade-long dearth of international matches in Pakistan. There is hope on the PCB side that CA would consider playing at least part of this five-match series in Pakistan, before the remainder of the fixtures take place in the UAE. The PCB’s new chairman Ehsan Mani made his feelings clear during Australia’s recent Test series against Pakistan.

“Obviously they rely on the [Australian] High Commission’s advice, but a lot of it is a matter of perception,” Mani said. “I am yet to meet people who, once they’ve been to Pakistan, have any concerns about going there. On the sidelines, we’ve certainly raised this with them, that they should consider this.

“It will certainly happen sooner or later. It’s a matter of comfort levels. We are getting PSL matches played in Pakistan, foreign players are coming for that. We’ve had a couple of other teams come and play, but I really want Australia, New Zealand, England to come. One thing we need to explain to Cricket Australia properly is that where we are planning to host the matches is away from troubled areas.”

The bans on Smith, Warner and Bancroft have polarised views for some months, and the Australian Cricketers Association submission to CA about reducing their terms has forced the Board, its interim chairman Earl Eddings and new chief executive Kevin Roberts to consider the state of play.

Should Smith and Warner be given dispensation to return to Shield ranks for the final four rounds of the season, ahead of the expiry of their 12-month bans, there is a sense that Bancroft, too, should be afforded similar treatment. To do so would require him to be made available for the next two rounds of Shield matches, meaning a decision either way would need to be reached this week.

Nathan Lyon expressed hope that the trio would be allowed to return to domestic ranks before the end of the home summer. “Always want to see them playing Shield cricket, I think the whole of Australia would like to see them playing Shield cricket,” Lyon said in Canberra. “It’s up to the powers that be to make that decision, and no matter what decision they make, we’ll respect that.

“I actually think the way Steve and Davey are going about it, they’ve been absolutely incredible and what they’re doing for grade cricket in Sydney has been exceptional. I actually take my hat off to them.”

Should they be allowed to play in the Shield, Smith and Warner in particular would be able to build a legitimate case for inclusion in the ODI team to face Pakistan via their performances. In turn, participation in the ODI series would also mean the selectors and coach Justin Langer could see them in action, and observe their behaviour in the context of a touring team, before making a final call as to the composition of the World-Cup squad. —with inputs from agencies