The Australian men’s cricket team will play three Tests, three ODIs, and one T20I match during their March-April tour of Pakistan. Australia will play a series in Pakistan for the first time in 24 years. Their last visit to Pakistan took place in 1998. Australia whitewashed Pakistan in both the Test and ODI series. Pakistan later hosted Australia in the UAE and other locations due to security concerns. Cricket Australia has already named an 18-man squad for the Test series. Let’s have a look at the PAK vs AUS 2022 series itinerary and the Australian Test squad.
Australia’s Squad for the Pakistan Test Series 2022
Cricket Australia revealed their Test team for the upcoming series against Pakistan on Tuesday (February 8). Australia will play three Test matches during the series, which is part of the ICC Test Championship’s second cycle (2021-2023).
The Australian selectors included a significant number of pacers as well as three spinners in the longer-version squad, given that slower bowlers would be effective on Pakistani soil. All of the expected names have been included in the team.
Michael Neser has been added as the fifth fast bowler, and Ashton Agar has been selected as the third spin bowler. Agar has a good chance of making the final XI since he can be very effective in Pakistan’s conditions. Besides, Josh Inglis will travel as a backup wicketkeeper.
Pat Cummins will lead Australia’s Test team, with experienced batsman Steven Smith acting as his deputy. This Australian side is very talented, having won the Ashes 2021-2022 by a margin of 4-0. Therefore, Pakistan will have to give it their best in order to win the series against Australia.
Australia and Pakistan are in strong positions in the present ICC Test Championship. Both teams will be determined to win this series in order to improve their standings.
Australia Test Squad:
Pat Cummins (Captain), Steven Smith (Vice-Captain), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson, Michael Neser, Scott Boland, Josh Inglis
Australia Tour of Pakistan 2022 Itinerary
The matches between Pakistan and Australia will be held at three venues: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, National Stadium in Karachi, and Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Rawalpindi, Karachi, and Lahore will host matches of the Test series. However, the ODI series and the lone T20I will be staged at Rawalpindi.
Bottom Line
The Pakistan Cricket Board was under pressure following the cancellation of the New Zealand and England series last year right before the T20 World Cup 2021. Therefore, hosting Australia for a bilateral series will provide the PCB a huge boost in terms of staging international cricket in Pakistan on a regular basis.
Australia are the no.1 Test team in the world with 119 rating points, while Pakistan are in sixth place with 93 rating points. However, Australia are in second place and Pakistan are in third place in the ongoing ICC Test Championship’s second cycle. The impending PAK vs AUS 2022 three-match Test series is part of the ICC Test Championship. Both teams will try to outperform one another in order to climb the points standings during the series.
Source: United News of Bangladesh