"We are feeling incredibly safe here in Pakistan" - Steve Smith on online threats
Australia's ace Test batter Steve Smith has expressed confidence in the security measures in place during their ongoing Pakistan tour, despite an online threat to one of the players. The vice-captain said he feels 'incredibly safe' and trusts the security personnel to handle things effectively.
The death threat, sent to left-arm spinner Ashton Agar's wife on social media ahead of the historic tour, wasn't deemed a credible threat. Cricket Australia (CA) issued a statement, saying extensive social media protocols are in place to nullify any threat:
“There are extensive security plans in place for this type of social media activity, which, in this case, is not considered a risk."
Revised schedule of Australia's tour to Pakistan announced
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Smith added that there are plenty of people ensuring their safety and security.
"We’re aware of social media and the unfortunate events that can occur on platforms. We’ve got a lot of people here working with us; we trust our security and everyone involved; we are feeling incredibly safe here in Pakistan, and we’ll be guided by our security and people we trust around us," the former Australian captain said, as quoted by Perth Now.
The social media post, rumoured to have originated in India, was investigated. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and government agencies dismissed its credibility once that came to their attention.
About the historic tour, Smith added:
“It’s the first time a lot of us have been here, we are really excited. I’m just excited to be here in Pakistan and bringing Test cricket back here.”
"I love getting on a roll and being able to play a lot of cricket and just finding my groove" - Steve Smith
Smith said he is keen to contribute lot of runs in Australia's first away series since 2019. The 32-year-old cited his exploits in England in 2019, and hopes to play well on the challenging surfaces in Pakistan.
He told cricket.com.au in this regard.
"I love getting on a roll and being able to play a lot of cricket, and just finding my groove. It's been an odd couple of years; this is our first away tour since the Ashes in 2019, which is hard to fathom. The last away tour, I performed really well in the Ashes and hopefully, I can replicate something similar in this series."
"The summer was pretty tough; the wickets had a fair amount of grass on them and a fair amount of seam movement. But I love playing on different surfaces, and all the different challenges of playing on different surfaces around the world."
Our 18-player Test squad for the Qantas tour of Pakistan! 🔒
The Test playing contingent and staff are due to depart for Pakistan later this month while white ball players, to be announced separately, will join mid-tour for the ODI and T20I matches. https://t.co/7RM0HwKygq
Steve Smith, who suffered a concussion against Sri Lanka in the T20 series, has been recovering well. He said about the same:
"It was just headaches, a bit of drowsiness and then a couple of Fridays ago I had a vertigo incident where I was struggling for a bit that day. But I had the Epley manoeuvre and got the crystals back where they're supposed to be in the inner ear."
The first of three Tests against Pakistan starts on March 4 in Rawalpindi.