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Australia have announced an 18-man squad for the Test tour to Pakistan next month. The Tour is set to make history as this will be Australia's first visit to Pakistan since 1998. Reports indicate that massive security assessments were conducted in Pakistan.
Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood recently stated that he won’t be surprised if some of his teammates decide to skip the Pak tour. Most of the players were thought to be likely to pull out from the team. But the squad announced by Cricket Australia tells a different story as they have gone ahead with a full-strength squad.
"There is some anxiety about touring which I think is perfectly natural given an Australian team hasn't toured Pakistan for almost 25 years. We'll need to respect the players and give them our full support if they decide not to make this tour,” Australian Cricketers' Association chief Todd Greenberg told SEN.
"It's a very important tour. The players completely understand our contribution to the global game and we don't expect that we can sit here and expect teams to tour our country and not contribute ourselves," Greenberg added.
However, Jhye Richardson is the only player who is set to miss the trip as he has struggled with injuries. Marcus Harris confirmed his place in the squad after being squeezed out of his opening spot for the fifth match of Ashes.
The names of the bowlers on the list are not surprising as they are all the best on the team. Meanwhile, Australia has been warned that Pakistan is not a slow bowlers' paradise.
"The general perception, which I think is wrong, is … there's going to be two spinners in the game and it's going to spin all the way through," former Pakistan batter Bazid Khan said last month.
Australia's 18-member Test squad for tour of Pakistan
Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, 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, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner
