Feb 17 2009
Australia Ready To Play Pakistan
In the recent times, meaning in the past one year or so, the Australian team is found going the way India had been doing since a decade or so. Not touring Pakistan or even not playing the same, if not for a mega event like the ICC Champions Trophy or the ICC world cup. This, I guess is the second time that Australia have boycotted from touring Pakistan. This reminded me of the way India never toured the country for 12 long years from 1989 to 2004 for reasons well known. Well it is not at all Australia’s fault whatsoever.
Well Pakistan can think itself to be lucky to get into the record books for being the only team in the world to have played a test match at a neutral venue. This has happened twice if I’m not wrong. In 2002, Pakistan hosted Australia at Colombo and once there was a test match between Australia and Pakistan in Sharjah as well. Irrespective of whether the ground at Sharjah meets the standards for conducting a test match or not, there was a test match held there. Never mind for the situation demanded it from Australia. And once again this time this is bound to happen.
Pakistan has agreed to play Australia Australia has agreed to play Pakistan provided it is at a neutral venue. The tests are scheduled to be played between April 24th to May 7th at Dubai and Abu Dhabi . And the test series between the two nations scheduled to be played in England and that too probably. So, finally there can be a contestbetween the two countries after four long years. The only question now is that can Pakistan draw something out of the lack of form of the current Australian side? For, they are no India or South Africa for that matter.
Pakistan has to consider itself to be lucky yet once again for they have played Australia just once after the world cup 2003 in Australia where as obvious Australia won 3-0. And had the test series in 2008 taken place smoothly, still Pakistan would have faced the Australian team without the likes of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist to name a few. The rest of the teams have had a taste of Australia more than once. India had it twice in 2003 and 2004, South Africa twice in 2005-06, England in 2006-07 and as follows. So, there is something that Pakistan can boast of eh!!!
