Australia have named a full-strength squad for the historic tour of Pakistan that will begin from March 4, with Usman Khawaja included.
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Australia has named a full-strength squad for the historic tour of Pakistan, which indicates that some players if selected in the IPL 2022 might miss some of the games. Pat Cummins will lead the side while the majority of the players who featured in the Ashes 4-0 series win have been included. Scott Boland, who impressed with 16 wickets in the three Tests including a magical haul of 6/7 in Melbourne, has also been included. Josh Hazlewood, who missed four out of the five Tests due to injury, makes a comeback.
There is backup in the spin department as Australia prepares to confront its weakness in spinning conditions. Nathan Lyon will be the prime spinner while there is a back-up in the form of leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson. There is also left-arm spinner Ashton Agar in the side. If required, Marnus Labuschagne can also contribute with leg-spin. But, the notable inclusion in the side is Usman Khawaja.
Usman Khawaja was born in Pakistan and he migrated to Australia when he was a youngster. Rawalpindi is a few kilometers away from his place of birth which is Islamabad. Usman Khawaja created history when he scored twin tons in the Ashes contest against England in Sydney.
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There was intense competition for places in the Ashes between Usman Khawaja and Travis Head. Head won out and Khawaja only got the spot because Head tested positive for coronavirus which forced him to miss the Sydney Test. Khawaja capitalized on the opportunity but Head impressed in the Ashes. He hit a century in Brisbane and Hobart as Australia completed a 4-0 win against England in the Ashes.
Australia will be embarking on a tour of Pakistan for the first time since 1998. When they last toured the country, Australia won the ODI series 3-0 and the three-Test series 1-0. A terror attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in March 2009 forced teams to play Pakistan in the UAE. For six years, the UAE served as the ‘home’ of Pakistan cricket.
In 2015, Zimbabwe became the first team to tour Pakistan. This was followed by visits by the South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh, and ICC World XI teams. England and New Zealand canceled their tour of Pakistan at the last moment due to a security threat. This will be the first series for Australia after the acrimonious exit of Justin Langer. Andrew McDonald has been appointed as the interim head coach.
Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner
