Australia refuses to tour Pakistan, PCB insists discussions are 'open'
Australia haven't played in Pakistan since 1998.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Pakistan Cricket Board has been told Australia won’t be coming to Pakistan this time around, but Cricket Australia insists it is open to the idea of a return in the future.
However the PCB maintains the matter isn t yet closed, waiting to hear back from CA about a proposal to send a reconnaissance team to Pakistan before making a definitive call not to tour.
“We want to see international cricket return to Pakistan – the country has a huge passion for it,” the Cricket Australia spokesperson said but it won’t happen in the coming months. “However, the safety of our players and support staff is our number one priority and we won’t compromise that. We’ll continue to take advice from a range of government agencies and our own security intelligence and act on this accordingly.
"The PCB Chairman wrote a letter to the CA Chairman, Earl Eddings, in which he had suggested that the CA, as part of a standard protocol and process for
bilateral series, should send their recce team to Pakistan to receive presentations on Pakistan’s security arrangements," the PCB said.
"The PCB is still waiting for a response from the CA. Until the PCB hears further from the CA on their letter, they will consider this as an open and an ongoing discussion."
Australia are scheduled to play five one-day internationals in March and April and the series against the Asian side will be their last ODIs before they begin their quest to defend the title at the World Cup in England.
Australia haven’t played in Pakistan since 1998 but there were hopes that they might play this time around as international cricket is gradually returning to the country with Windies, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe touring the country since 2015.
