Pakistan vs Australia series schedule revised as CA confirms historic tour

Cricket Australia (CA) on Friday announced a revised schedule for their upcoming tour of Pakistan, thereby confirming that the tour will happen.

Australia are set to embark on a historic tour of Pakistan after 24 long years. The coming series will include three Tests, three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and a Twenty20 International (T20I).

Cricket Australia's directors had a meeting at the governing body's Jolimont headquarters on Friday. Venues for the first and second Tests of the campaign have been swapped, with Rawalpindi to now host the first Test (from March 3), Karachi the second (March 12), before the series finale in Lahore (March 21).

Lahore, where Mark Taylor famously scored an unbeaten 334 on Australia's previous tour of Pakistan in 1998, had also been set to host all the upcoming series' limited-overs matches. However, the white-ball matches will now instead be played in Rawalpindi.

It comes after a thorough security assessment, including a reconnaissance trip to Pakistan also involving the Australian Cricketers' Association, was completed by Australian officials, according to a report from cricket.com.au.

Cricket teams have feared touring Pakistan ever since the 2009 terrorist attack on the team bus of the Sri Lankan side in Lahore. Nevertheless, cricket has revived in the country as international teams have gradually started to return.

Josh Hazlewood: Won't be surprised if some players withdraw

Australia, the current World No. 1 Test side, is expected to send close to a full-strength squad for the tour in the coming days. Although senior fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has suggested some player may withdraw from the tour.

"The trust is quite high there from the players, but there'd certainly be some concerns from the players and I wouldn't be surprised if some of them don't make the tour. And that's very fair. People will discuss it with their families and come up with an answer and everyone respects that," Hazlewood had said in an interview earlier this week.

Several Australian cricketers have travelled to Pakistan in recent years to play in the Pakistan Super League (PSG).

Pakistan have managed to have had international cricket as well at home as the likes of Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka recently toured there.

But there have been setbacks.

New Zealand were hours away from playing a T20I in Rawalpindi in September last year when they abandoned the eight-match series entirely due to a warning from their government of an escalated security threat.

Soon after that England then cancelled their own tour of Pakistan.

A safe and sound and successful tour by Australia could encourage other countries to travel to Pakistan.

"I would like to thank the PCB and both Pakistan and Australian Governments for ensuring the tour will proceed for the first time in 24 years. This is a historic occasion and important for the global growth and health of the game. I would also like to thank the Australian Cricketers' Association and the players, coaches, support teams, staff and security experts for their collaboration in the planning for the tour.

"We are looking forward to an exciting series between two world-class teams," CA's chief executive Nick Hockley said, according to cricket.com.au.