Cricket Australia 'very committed' to tour Pakistan in March

Cricket Australia interim CEO Nick Hockley (R) speaks during at a press conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney on May 5, 2021. (AFP/File)

• Nick Hockley says they intend to tour Pakistan 'as long as it’s safe to do so'
• Australia are due to play three Tests, three ODIs and one T20 starting March 3

ISLAMABAD: The chief executive of Cricket Australia on Sunday cleared the uncertainty surrounding the bilateral series with Pakistan and said they were “very committed” to touring the South Asian nation in March next year. 
Australia are due to play three Tests, three one-day internationals (ODIs) and one Twenty-20 International (T20I) in the month-long series starting March 3. 
The three Test matches are scheduled to be played in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, while the three ODIs and one T20 will be played in Lahore. 
“We’re working closely with the PCB, working with all the authorities to make sure that those plans are set. It’s a really big complex endeavour. We’re very committed to touring,” Cricket Australia chief Nick Hockley was quoted as saying by Fox Sports Australia. 
“It’ll be the first time in many, many years, so at the moment we’re going through the post reports of that. But it’s absolutely our intention to tour as long as it’s safe to do so.” 
Australia have not toured Pakistan since 1998 because of security concerns. A Cricket Australia team recently completed a trip to Pakistan to ensure the tour is safe, according to the report. 
Hockley said it was their every intention to play in the South Asian country. 
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja earlier this week expressed confidence that Australia, England and New Zealand would tour Pakistan next year. 
“We have made the world realize about our presence at the International Cricket Council (ICC) meetings,” Raja said at a press conference on Wednesday. 
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was due to send its men’s and women’s team in October, but withdrew because of “concerns” over its players’ mental health while traveling to Pakistan. 
The ECB pulled out of the series just days after New Zealand Cricket said it was abandoning its series in Pakistan following a “security alert” by its government. 
The news came as a shock to Pakistan, which has been struggling to revive international cricket that was suspended in the aftermath of a 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.