Pakistan players have arrived in Australia as they will play a three-match Test series against the hosts, starting with the first Test on December 14 in Perth. The test series is part of the WTC 2023-25 campaign.
The members of the Pakistan cricket team upon arrival in Australia were not received by any representative of the Pakistani embassy in Australia or by any Cricket Australia officials. The players were seen loading their luggage onto a truck alone. The images were not so good and also attracted attention.
Senior player Mohammad Rizwan was seen helping his Pakistan teammates by packing the luggage inside the truck by himself. Once the luggage was loaded, Rizwan was seen taking photos with Pakistan fans who gave them a warm welcome.
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Watch: Pakistan players carrying their luggage after arriving in Australia
Pakistan team arrived in Australia to play a 3-match test series starting December 14.
The Pakistani players loaded their luggage on the truck as there was no official present. pic.twitter.com/H65ofZnhlF
– Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) December 1, 2023
Meanwhile, Pakistan team manager Mohammad Hafeez, in the pre-departure press conference, clarified that playing international cricket for the country should be the main objective of players who have been given recent contracts.
“Representing Pakistan and domestic red-ball cricket should be our priority and we may have to take some steps to ensure that this attitude is promoted and prioritized as such. We want our players to return to longer formats as that is where we are lagging at the moment. “The core contracts will remain as they are and will continue for the full cycle.” Mohammad Hafeez said.
After the World Cup, the PCB has made many changes in its management and captaincy. Shan Masood was named the new Test captain and Shaheen Afridi T20I captain after Babar decided to step down as captain in all formats. Wahab Riaz was appointed as PCB president while Mohammad Hafeez was appointed as team manager.
After Perth, MCG hosts the second Test from December 26-30. The third and final Test will be played at the SCG from January 3-7.
Pakistan Test team for Australia Tests
Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (week), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi
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