"Pakistan deserves to host a full-strength Australian team" - Greg Chappell
Greg Chappell hopes to see a full-strength Australian team visit Pakistan on a historic tour scheduled for March-April 2022. The former player is apparently satisfied with PCB's preparedness for the marquee tour.
The Australian men's team is slated to tour Pakistan for the first time since 1998. As of now, the series includes three Tests, as many ODIs and a T20 international. However, the Australian government is yet to give the green light for the series.
CONFIRMED: Australia will tour Pakistan in March-April 2022 for three Tests, three ODIs and a single T20I across Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore https://t.co/llhGFit9xo
In his column for the Sydney Morning Herald, Chappell is keen to see the tour go ahead with a full-strength Australian team visiting Pakistani shores. Stating that Pakistan have done their best to convince Australia's three-member delegation team of their preparations, Chappell wrote:
"I do hope that Australia will not cry off from the nation’s first cricketing tour of Pakistan in over two decades. Pakistan, in particular, deserve to host a full-strength Australian team, having had to play almost all of their cricket in the UAE for the past decade."
"I know that a three-man delegation, including a representative of the Australian Cricketers Association, has just returned from an extensive 12-day visit to the proposed venues for the March series. Informal reports are that they were impressed at the plans and preparations of the Pakistan Cricket Board."
Australia's tour of Pakistan is significant after England and New Zealand withdrew at the last minute this year.
"Cricket Australia is excited about the prospect of touring Pakistan next year for what will be a highly anticipated series in a country so incredibly passionate about the game and their national team."
Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia CEO 🇦🇺 https://t.co/afmx9LUzEl
PCB chairman Ramiz Raja earlier said a top-performing side like Australia visiting the country after 24 years would be a 'delight'.
"Pakistani people are extremely friendly and respectful" - Greg Chappell
Chappell asserted that the facilities and hospitality provided for the tourists are top-class, while the people are welcoming and passionate about cricket. The 73-year old wishes to see the 'Big Three' competing against Pakistan consistently.
"The stadiums are excellent, as are the five-star hotels and other facilities for tourists. Language is not an issue. The people are extremely friendly and respectful."
"They are very passionate and knowledgeable about their cricket and of course their national side always has some amazing talent, which has not always been harnessed. World cricket, and Test cricket in particular, needs a strong Pakistan team to compete with the big three."
Australia's tour of Pakistan in 1998 saw the visitors clinch the three-match Test series 1-0. They also swept the three-game ODI rubber.