ISLAMABAD: Australia will tour Pakistan for the first time in nearly 24 years when it plays three test matches, three one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international next year, the Pakistan Cricket Board said Monday.
Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore are scheduled to host the three test matches in March and the limited-overs portion will be played in Lahore from March 29-April 5.
The test matches will be part of the World Test Championship. The ODIs will be counted toward World Cup Super League.
Mark Taylor led Australia to a 1-0 victory in the last test series it played in Pakistan in 1998. Since then Pakistan has hosted Australia four times at neutral venues in Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.
“Australia are one of the high-performing sides and them playing in our backyard for the first time after a gap of 24 years will be a special treat for the fans,” PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said in a statement.
“Likewise, it will be a great opportunity for the Australia cricketers to not only play at our iconic venues but also feel and enjoy the respect, love and hospitality that this great country offers, something which most of their previous generation of cricketers missed out by playing offshore.”
Pakistan was off limits for hosting international cricket for almost a decade after the Sri Lanka team’s bus came under attack at Lahore in March 2009. Eight people were killed during the terror attack, and several Sri Lankan players were injured.
Pakistan also lost its status as a co-host for the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
Sri Lanka was the first team to return for a test series, in December 2019, and was followed by Bangladesh and South Africa. Other teams have toured for limited-overs series.
Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley acknowledged the efforts of the PCB in planning next year’s tour and said he looked forward to close cooperation to finalize the operations, logistics, security and COVID-19 protocols.
“The safety and welfare of our players and staff remains our No. 1 priority,” Hockley said in a statement. “We will continue to work with the PCB and relevant agencies to ensure that appropriate and sufficient arrangements are put in place for the tour.”
The PCB said a Cricket Australia delegation will visit Pakistan to meet with government officials and finalize arrangements.
Pakistan and Australia are set to meet in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup at Dubai on Thursday.
Just before the T20 World Cup, New Zealand abandoned its limited-overs tour of Pakistan due to security concerns, and England also pulled out citing player welfare concerns.
Pakistan is set to host West Indies from Dec. 13-22 in three T20s and and three ODIS between Dec. 13-22. It will be the West Indies’ first tour of Pakistan since April 2018 when it played three T20s.
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Schedule:
March 3-7: 1st test at Karachi
March 12-16: 2nd test at Rawalpindi
March 21-25: 3rd test at Lahore
March 29: 1st ODI at Lahore
March 31: 2nd ODI at Lahore
April 2: 3rd ODI at Lahore
April 5: T20 at Lahore
Australia set to resume touring Pakistan after 24 years
https://arab.news/57m57
Australia set to resume touring Pakistan after 24 years
- Australia will play three test matches, three one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international
- Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore are scheduled to host the matches in March
Pakistanis among 44 migrants rescued by aid ship off Libyan coast
- Survivors rescued after days at sea on unseaworthy boat in international waters
- Pakistanis have featured in several deadly Mediterranean migrant disasters in recent years
Crew members of the humanitarian rescue ship Ocean Viking evacuated and provided first aid to 44 migrants stranded aboard a merchant vessel in international waters off the Libyan coast, the NGO SOS Mediterranee said on Monday.
The group, originating mainly from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Egypt, had been rescued earlier from an unseaworthy fiberglass boat and later transferred to the merchant ship before the Ocean Viking intervened, according to the organization.
Libya, about 300 kilometers from Italy, remains one of the main departure points in North Africa for migrants attempting the dangerous Mediterranean crossing, despite repeated warnings from humanitarian agencies about abuse, exploitation and high fatality rates along the route.
Migrants often depart Libya after months in detention centers or informal holding sites, boarding overcrowded and unsafe vessels operated by smuggling networks. Delays in rescue frequently leave survivors severely weakened, aid groups say.
“These 44 people, they are mainly from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Egypt. They departed reportedly from Benghazi (Libya) some five or six days ago. And they are now safe on board the Ocean Viking, recovering,” Francesco Creazzo, spokesperson for SOS Mediterranee, said.
Creazzo said the migrants were found in severe physical distress when evacuated.
“They were exhausted, coughing of dehydration, extremely weak, some couldn’t walk,” he added.
The Ocean Viking, an ambulance ship operated by SOS Mediterranee, regularly conducts search-and-rescue missions in the central Mediterranean, one of the world’s deadliest migration routes. According to international organizations, thousands of people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean over the past decade while attempting to reach Europe.
The latest rescue comes amid a series of deadly migrant disasters in the Mediterranean in recent years that have involved Pakistani nationals. In June 2023, at least several hundred migrants died when the Adriana, a fishing trawler carrying migrants from Pakistan and other countries, capsized off the coast of Greece in one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the region in a decade.
Earlier incidents have also seen Pakistani migrants perish in shipwrecks off Italy, Tunisia and Libya, highlighting the persistent risks faced by people attempting irregular sea crossings to Europe. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly urged citizens not to undertake the journey, while international agencies warn that smugglers continue to exploit economic hardship and conflict to lure migrants onto unsafe boats.
