ISLAMABAD: Australia’s tour of Pakistan has raised hopes of the Pakistan Cricket Board that other major cricketing teams will also begin touring Pakistan and its chief executive Faisal Hasnain said that it has sent out a positive message to the cricketing world.

During a news conference before the start of Australia’s first Test in Pakistan since 1998 here on Friday, Faisal exuded confidence that the tour will see full-fledged international cricket returning to Pakistan.

“This tour is about much more than just cricket,” he said, sitting alongside International Cricket Council chief executive Geoff Allardice and Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley.

“It’s about mutual respect, understanding and admiration. It’s about all sides working together as a team towards a common objective and with sincere intent.

“That’s why we all are sitting here, demonstrating to world that the international cricket community remains firm in its unity and is a very close … and whatever the results on the field, whatever the outcome, the ultimate winner will be a glorious game of cricket.”

Pakistan has hosted several international teams since international cricket began making its way to Pakistan in 2015, six years after the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.

Australia, though, are the most high-profile team to arrive since then.

“This tour sends out a strong and a positive message to the entire world,” Faisal added. “I’m confident that when the Australian team returns home, they will leave with fond memories, and they all hopefully will become ambassadors of Pakistan.”

Hockley termed the series as a “historic one”.

“Both boards have worked tirelessly efforts for staging this series,” he added. “We appreciate Pakistan’s hospitality and support from fans here.”

Allardice appreciated steps taken by Pakistan to revive international cricket.

“I’ve seen over the last four or five years the efforts the PCB and various authorities in Pakistan have made to bring elite cricket back to Pakistan and this is another step in that journey,” Allardice said.

“It’s a building block in terms of building that confidence for teams to come back and tour Pakistan.”

Reuters adds: Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) chief executive Todd Greenberg said Australian cricketers were “unbelievably excited”.

“A lot of players were very anxious about this tour some months ago, but that anxiety has turned to real excitement,” Greenberg said.

“We understand our contribution and our responsibility to the global game.”

Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson played a key role in convincing the players to tour Pakistan, while the ACA spoke to their families as well sharing details of the security arrangements.

“The better informed they are the better decision they can make which is why that anxiety has turned into excitement,” Greenberg added.

But hours after the six-week tour got underway, a suicide bomb took place at a Shi’ite mosque in Peshawar, some 140 kilometres from where the Australia team are staying in Islamabad.

Australia’s interim coach Andrew McDonald, however, said the team will be guided by security experts.

“Our thoughts are obviously with the people in Peshawar,” McDonald said after the opening day’s play in Rawalpindi. “For us we’d be guided by our security team. We’re in really really good hands we have been since the guys landed. So we’ll be guided by those people, the experts in the field... If anything were to change, clearly they will be able to be talking about [that].”

The PCB has arranged presidential-style security for the entire tour which also includes Tests in Karachi and Lahore followed by four limited-overs matches in Rawalpindi.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2022