Australian women and army cricket teams to tour Pakistan: Envoy

In what can be regarded as a huge step towards reviving international cricket in Pakistan, the Australian High Commissioner Peter Heyward on Monday said that his country would send their top women and army cricketers by next year to tour the country.

International cricket has been stalled in the country since five years after militants attacked the visiting Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009 attack. Pakistan was immediately banned as an international venue and the cricket fans have since then facing a drought of cricketing actions.

Pakistan has been compelled to play all their home series at neutral venues, mostly in the UAE, as almost all foreign sport teams including those of cricket have avoided touring the country due to security concerns.

Speaking to Dawn.com over the telephone today, High Commissioner Heyward expressed his disappointment over the more than five-year absence of international sport in the country.

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“This is really unfortunate that international teams are not visiting Pakistan,” said the high commissioner and hoped for an early revival of the sport in the cricket-mad country.

He said that authorities in his country were working closely with PCB in this regard. “We intend to send our top women players to play against Pakistan’s women cricket team,” he said.

Heyward added that Australia’s Army team would also be seen playing against Pakistan Army team in 2015. It is pertinent to mention that Kenya’s men team is also scheduled to visit Pakistan in December this year. The tour of Kenya is part of a campaign launched by the PCB to revive international cricket in Pakistan.

Even before the attacks on the Sri Lankan team in 2009, players’ safety had been an issue in Pakistan which has faced a homegrown Taliban insurgency since joining hands with the United States after the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Australia has not toured Pakistan since 1998 over security fears.

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They were due to tour in October 2002 but the series was played in Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates after a suicide bombing outside the hotel of the New Zealand team forced them to cut short their tour in May that year.

This unusual match-up will take place at Lahore where the Australian Army Cricket team will play three T20s matches. They will play the Pakistan Army team and the Pakistan Cricket Board young team in T20s scheduled on October 18th, 21st and 22nd.

The Australian cricket team is a part of a larger 25 member squad that will participate in the first-ever Physical Agility and Combat Efficiency System (PACES) competition.

A team from Sri Lanka has already arrived for the event that will witness teams from 16 countries. The Pakistani Army is hosting the event from October 18th to 22nd at Lahore.