All the Pakistani cricket fans get ready for the biggest series you are going to witness after long years of waiting, the Australian cricket team soon arriving in Pakistan. This is going to be the first tour of Australia cricket team to Pakistan since November 1998.
No one believed that Australia will bring their A team for the tour because as per the speculations they first considered bringing the B team as most of their players heading to the Indian Premier League.
It’s a piece of great news for Pakistan, that international cricket finally heading home with big teams and main players.
Today, the Australian cricket board has officially announced their 16 men’s squad for the One Day International (ODI) and Twenty 20 International Pakistan tour that is scheduled for March.
Australia tour to Pakistan – Here are the 16 Aussie players
It was impossible to imagine the Australian team heading to Pakistan with their key players after what happened last year. No one can forget what the New Zealand cricket team did, at the last minute called off the series and went back to their home which created chaos all over the cricket world.
Following their footsteps, England also joined the kiwis and canceled their tour as well. Looking at that, people were not hoping to have the Australian 1st team to be ready for the series. It all became possible when Pakistan cricket showcased their true class performance in the 2021 T20 World Cup when Pakistan had beaten India for the first time and took revenge from New Zealand as well.
Aaron Finch will lead the white ball series, in which David Warner, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitch Starc, and Glenn Maxwell will not be part of the squad.
Among these players, Pat Cummins, David Warner, and Josh Hazlewood will be available for the test that will start on March 3.
As per the chair selectors George Bailey, “We have picked a talented and versatile squad with several challenges to juggle.”
He also cited the need “to build experience and depth in preparation for two short-form World Cups within the next 18 months.”
He further added, “We’re confident the squad can both compete successfully on this tour and continue our progress towards those crucial tournaments.”
Australian cricket ODI & T20 squad:
According to the Australian cricket board statement, “Mitch Marsh, Josh Inglis, and Mitchell Swepson are part of an 18-member squad, adding that spinner Ashton Agar’s name is the only addition from the extended group of players that won the Ashes series against England.”
- Aaron Finch (c)
- Sean Abbott
- Ashton Agar
- Jason Behrendorff
- Alex Carey
- Nathan Ellis
- Cameron Green
- Travis Head
- Josh Inglis
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Mitchell Marsh
- Ben McDermott
- Kane Richardson
- Steve Smith
- Marcus Stoinis
- Adam Zampa
Australian cricket test squad:
- Pat Cummins (c)
- Ashton Agar
- Scott Boland
- Alex Carey
- Cameron Green
- Marcus Harris
- Josh Hazlewood
- Travis Head
- Josh Inglis
- Usman Khawaja
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Nathan Lyon
- Mitchell Marsh
- Michael Neser
- Steve Smith (VC)
- Mitchell Starc
- Mitchell Swepson
- David Warner
Meanwhile, the Pakistan cricket team also made some changes in the test squad after their marvelous victory in Bangladesh. Regarding the test squad, PCB released the statement “Pakistan cricket selectors announced 16 players and five reserves for the three Tests against Australia, which will be played in Rawalpindi (4-8 March), Karachi (12-16 March) and Lahore (21-25 March),” a statement issued by the PCB said.”
Pakistan test squad:
- Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab)
- Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
- Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab)
- Azhar Ali (Central Punjab)
- Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab)
- Fawad Alam (Sindh)
- Haris Rauf (Northern)
- Hasan Ali (Central Punjab)
- Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan)
- Mohammad Nawaz (Northern)
- Nauman Ali (Northern)
- Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
- Saud Shakeel (Sindh)
- Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
- Shan Masood (Balochistan)
- Zahid Mahmood (Sindh)
- Reserves
- Kamran Ghulam (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
- Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab)
- Naseem Shah (Southern Punjab)
- Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh)
- Yasir Shah (Balochistan)
The PCB already disclosed the details about the tour, it will take place from March to April consist of three Tests, three One-day internationals, and one Twenty20 international.
It’s high time for Pakistan to take T20 World Cup semi-final revenge and showcase their true hospitality with their cricket skills.
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