Tag: Cricket Australia

  • Australia prioritises Pakistan tour over IPL, players to miss a few matches

    Australia prioritises Pakistan tour over IPL, players to miss a few matches

    The Australian team will prioritise their national duty and several prominent players from Australia will miss out the first few matches of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 action due to the series against Pakistan.

    Read More – Australia announces full-strength squad for Pakistan tour

    Australian skipper Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, David Warner and others are all included in the auction. Cricket Australia (CA) laid down a strong ruling that their players were not allowed to abandon international duty for the IPL.

    Earlier, George Bailey, Australia’s chairman of selectors had said that IPL is a good enough “development opportunity” but CA would not release players when Australia was playing.

    “We do see the IPL as a really good development opportunity when it fits, but there’s obviously a huge amount of cricket with a series (in Sri Lanka) planned for immediately-post the IPL as well.”

    He later reiterated and passed a clear ruling on the matter.

    “So, it will be about working with the individuals to ensure they’re getting the preparation they need, but we certainly won’t be releasing players to the IPL while Australia are playing.”

    The Test leg of Australia’s tour of Pakistan, featuring three matches, is scheduled to end on March 25. Australia will then play a three-match ODI series in Rawalpindi, which will also host the only T20I on April 5. In an e-mail to the franchises on Wednesday, the IPL said Cricket Australia had permitted players who were part of both the Test and white-ball leg in Pakistan, to travel from April 6.

    This is a clear statement to IPL and to world cricket that Australia has refused to surrender to BCCI’s foothold in the cricketing world.

    The series is set to kickoff with the first Test match to be played on March 4 in Rawalpindi.

  • Australia’s white-ball captain Aaron Finch ‘can’t wait’ to tour Pakistan

    Australia’s white-ball captain Aaron Finch ‘can’t wait’ to tour Pakistan

    Australian captain Aaron Finch has said that he cannot wait to go to Pakistan for the white-ball leg, consisting of three ODIs and one T20I.

    “As a player, I can’t wait to go to Pakistan for the white-ball leg,” said Finch, according to Sportstar.

    The right-handed batter said that Pakistan has not been able to play cricket at home for a long time.

    “That’s one part of the world that’s been deprived of (international) cricket for a long time now, and world cricket’s in a much better place when Pakistan’s thriving as a cricket nation,” he added.

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket Australia (CA) on Friday announced the revised schedule of the Australia men’s cricket team’s tour of Pakistan in 2022.

    The Australian cricket team will arrive in Pakistan in the last week to play three Tests, three ODIs, and one T20I at three different venues Rawalpindi, Karachi, and Lahore.

    It will be Australia’s first tour of Pakistan after 24 long years. The Aussies’ last tour of Pakistan was in 1998 when they won the three-match Test series by 1-0 as two matches were drawn.

  • Fawad Chaudhry welcomes Australian team, recommends Lahore and Karachi’s desi food

    Fawad Chaudhry welcomes Australian team, recommends Lahore and Karachi’s desi food

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has welcomed the Australian cricket team to Pakistan after they confirmed their tour to Pakistan for the first time in 24 years. Australia will play a full-fledged series in three Tests, three ODIs and a solitary T20I on their tour starting March 4.

    The minister also recommended the Australian team to try desi food in Lahore and Karachi.

    Taking to Twitter, he wrote: “Welcome to Pakistan a beautiful country of ours, May you enjoy your trip and do try Our very Desi food in Karachi and Lahore.”

    Rawalpindi will host the tour-opening first Test, swapping with Karachi, which will now host the second Test from March 12.

    The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will be the venue for the final Test.

    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 two cricket boards have also agreed that the Australia Test side will complete their isolation in Australia, before arriving in Islamabad on February 27 on a chartered flight. After a one-day room isolation, they will hold training sessions at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.

    Australia’s white-ball players are expected to arrive in Lahore on March 24 following isolation in Australia. After a one-day isolation upon arrival, they will integrate with other members of the side and travel to Islamabad for the first ODI in Rawalpindi on March 29.

  • PCB announces revised schedule of Australia’s tour to Pakistan

    PCB announces revised schedule of Australia’s tour to Pakistan

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the revised schedule of Australia’s tour to Pakistan. The tour will comprise of three Tests, three ODIs, and one T20I.

    The tour will now start and end in Rawalpindi with the opening Test to be played from March 4-8 and the four white-ball matches to be played from March 29 to April 5.

    The change in the first Test venue means that the second Test will be played in Karachi from March 12-16 and the third in Lahore from March 21-25.

    PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain said: “We are pleased that the Cricket Australia Board has formally approved their side’s five-week tour itinerary and confirmed that their best available 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 that will comprise three Tests, three ODIs and a T20I.”

    “While Australia will arrive at the back of strong performances 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,” he added.

    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 two cricket boards have also agreed that the Australia Test side will complete their isolation in Australia, before arriving in Islamabad on February 27 on a chartered flight. After a one-day room isolation, they will hold training sessions at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.

    Australia’s white-ball players are expected to arrive in Lahore on March 24 following isolation in Australia. After a one-day isolation upon arrival, they will integrate with other members of the side and travel to Islamabad for the first ODI in Rawalpindi on March 29.

    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 50-over World Cup.

    Earlier, Australia’s Test team captain Pat Cummins had said that a near full-strength squad will tour Pakistan as only a few players have security concerns for the forthcoming tour.

    Revised schedule:

    Feb 27 – Arrival in Islamabad

    Mar 4-8 – 1st Test, Rawalpindi

    Mar 12-16 – 2nd Test, Karachi

    Mar 21-25 – 3rd Test, Lahore

    Mar 29 – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi

    Mar 31 – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi

    April 2 – 3rd ODI, Rawalpindi

    Apr 5 – one-off T20I, Rawalpindi

    Apr 6 – Departure

  • Mohammad Hasnain’s bowling action declared illegal

    Mohammad Hasnain’s bowling action declared illegal

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued a statement on Mohammad Hasnain after a test conducted on his bowling action at the ICC’s accredited testing centre in Lahore on January 21 and the report reviewed and verified by Cricket Australia’s (CA) independent expert found his bowling action to be illegal.

    “The PCB today received a formal and detailed report from Cricket Australia on Mohammad Hasnain’s assessment test, which stated his elbow extension for his good length delivery, full-length delivery, slow bouncer and bouncer exceeded the 15-degree limits,” the statement read.

    “The PCB has discussed the report with its own bowling experts and is confident that the problem can be resolved. The PCB will now appoint a bowling consultant who will work with Mohammad Hasnain so that he can rectify his bowling action and be ready for a reassessment,” it added.

    “Mohammad Hasnain is an asset for Pakistan and one of the very few bowlers to consistently click 145kmp. As such, and keeping his future and Pakistan’s interest at the forefront, the PCB, on the recommendation of the HBL PSL 2022 Technical Committee, has decided he will not be allowed to continue to participate in the HBL Pakistan Super League.”

    The report further added: “Instead, he will use this time to work with the PCB-appointed bowling consultant to modify his bowling action so that he can apply for a reassessment and become eligible to return to international cricket as quickly as practically possible.”

    “As per the Illegal Bowling Action Regulations, until Mohammad Hasnain clears his reassessment, he will remain suspended from bowling in international cricket.”

    According to the ICC’s regulations on illegal bowling actions, the PCB can allow him to continue bowling in their domestic tournaments but it would seem unlikely. In 2016, the board prevented Mohammad Hafeez from bowling in the PSL after his action was found to be illegal.

    Hasnain had picked up three wickets in the PSL so far, while conceding runs at 8.44 runs per over for Quetta Gladiators.

  • Pat Cummins hopes ‘close to a full-strength’ squad to tour Pakistan

    Pat Cummins hopes ‘close to a full-strength’ squad to tour Pakistan

    Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins is confident that a near full-strength squad will tour Pakistan as only a few players have security concerns for the forthcoming tour.

    According to the Australian Associated Press (AAP), Cummins is optimistic, while also acknowledging the pre-tour preparations made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

    “I think we’ll get close to a full-strength squad. There is still a little bit of more work to do,” he said.

    “We have received a lot of information and it has been great. All the pre-tour security and biosecurity work has been done and it’s been fantastic,” he added.

    Australia’s red ball captain also revealed that the majority of the players are confident in the tour’s continuation, while the others are concerned about security. Cummins, on the other hand, is committed to back his teammates if anyone withdraws.

    “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,” he added.

    Earlier, Australia’s pacer Josh Hazelwood had said that he will not be surprised if a few players will miss Pakistan tour.

    Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that Australia’s historic tour to Pakistan comes after a gap of 24 years and is set to begin on March 3. The tour is comprised of three Test matches that will be contested in Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore, followed by a three-match ODI series from March 29 to April 2. On April 5, a single T20I will be played to conclude the tour.

  • ‘We are in this together’: Australian cricket chief says if team tours Pak, ‘I will go with them’

    ‘We are in this together’: Australian cricket chief says if team tours Pak, ‘I will go with them’

    Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) Chief Todd Greenberg has told Australian cricketers that he will travel to Pakistan with them if the tour gets final approval but respects the wishes of “one or two” who might want to back out of the trip. If the team gets security clearance to travel, it will be Australia’s first tour to Pakistan since 1998.

    “I’ve made an assurance to the players that they won’t go alone. If they’re going to Pakistan, I’ll be going with them and I think that’s important. It’s an opportunity to show the players that we’re in this together,” Greenberg told Australian publication The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH).

    “The ACA accompanied Cricket Australia on a pre-tour of Pakistan late last year, and the reports were all very positive,” he further added.

    “But we’ll continue to take the advice of DFAT and other government organisations, as we need to be able to satisfy not just the players, but their families, that it’s safe to tour.” International teams have been reluctant to travel to Pakistan since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009.

    However, international players have competed in Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the West Indies also travelled to Pakistan in December 2021 for a Twenty20 series.

    Greenberg is aware that despite security assurances, a few cricketers might be unwilling to travel to Pakistan but he won’t force anyone.

    “There may be one or two players who won’t be comfortable despite the best advice we give, and that’s OK, we need to respect that.”

    CA chief executive Nick Hockley is also planning to travel to Pakistan for at least some part of the tour, while the interim chair Richard Freudenstein may visit for a period to meet with his counterpart Ramiz Raja, unless a new permanent chair is chosen by then, according to the report in the SMH.

    New Zealand and England had called off their tours to Pakistan ahead of the T20 World Cup last year, much to the disappointment of cricket fans in Pakistan.

    Chairman PCB Raja had earlier emphasised that cricketing nations need to back each other but said that “western bloc” was not helping the cause. He said he was expecting Australia to do the same what England and New Zealand did to them.

    It must be noted here that Pakistan will be hosting series with England twice in 2022. The Englishmen will visit Pakistan for seven-T20I series in September-October and they will return for a three-Test series starting in November, after the T20 World Cup in Australia.

    Pakistan and New Zealand Cricket Boards are also in constant talks to plan a series between the two nations.

    Meanwhile, the seventh edition of PSL is also set to kick start from January 27. International players from many cricketing nations will participate in the league.

  • Shaniera Akram tells Australia, England what they should be worried about when touring Pakistan

    Shaniera Akram tells Australia, England what they should be worried about when touring Pakistan

    Shaniera Akram, who is a humanitarian, environmentalist and wife of legendary Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram, has told Australian and English cricket teams what they should be worried about when touring Pakistan.

    Taking to Twitter, Shaniera wrote: “The only thing Australia & England should be worried about when coming to play cricket in Pakistan is The Pakistan Cricket Team!”

    “Thank you @CricketAus and @ECB_cricket for this opportunity,” she wrote, adding, “Like we always do, Pakistan & @TheRealPCB will welcome both teams with open arms & hearts!”

    Australian and English Boards have announced a visit to Pakistan. Yesterday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja met England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman. The series was discussed. Two additional matches were also announced after the meeting.

    The schedule of Australia’s visit to Pakistan has also been released two days ago, this will be Australia’s first visit to Pakistan after 1998.

    Fans are eager to know whether Shaniera, who lives in Pakistan but is of Australian origin, will be supporting Pakistan or Australia during the T20 World Cup semi-final.

    “Million dollar question: I’m deeply interested in knowing that who would @iamShaniera Bhabhi be supporting at #PAKVSAUS in the 2nd #SemiFinal of #T20WorldCup?” asked Twitter user Samra Tariq.

    At this, Shaniera did not give a clear response.

    “I want to know from all of you ??? Which team do you guys think I will cheer for???” Shaniera said.

    Pakistan will face Australia in the semi-final in Dubai on November 11. Pakistan remained undefeated in the Super 12 and ended the stage on a high.

  • Australia warns of cancelling Afghanistan Test if Taliban ban women’s cricket

    Australia warns of cancelling Afghanistan Test if Taliban ban women’s cricket

    Cricket Australia (CA) warned to cancel the Test match against Afghanistan in November if women are not allowed to play the sport under the Taliban regime.

    The updated stance from CA follows the developments on Wednesday where the Taliban indicated that women would not be able to participate in sport, including cricket.

    In a statement released on Thursday, Cricket Australia confirmed it would be unable to proceed with the planned Test at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena from November 27 if news reports of Taliban views on the women’s game were true.

    “Driving the growth of women’s cricket globally is incredibly important to Cricket Australia,” the statement said.

    “Our vision for cricket is that it is a sport for all and we support the game unequivocally for women at every level.”

    “If recent media reports that women’s cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would have no alternative but to not host Afghanistan for the proposed Test Match due to be played in Hobart,” it added.

    The ICC has said that Afghanistan’s status in the international game will be discussed at their next board meeting but that is not scheduled until November, which raises further questions about their participation in the T20 World Cup.

    Afghanistan is the only Full Member to have received that status without having an operational women’s team in place. Last year, the Afghanistan Cricket Board had announced their first contracts for women as they looked to build a team.