ACA chief Greenberg to accompany Australia players for upcoming tour of Pakistan
Jan 11, 2022
Sydney [Australia], January 11 : Australian Cricketers Association chief Todd Greenberg has said that he will accompany the country's players in Pakistan should final security approvals for the tour are given.
Australia is expected to tour Pakistan later this year and it would be the first time since 1998 that Australia would tour Pakistan.
"I've made an assurance to the players that they won't go alone. If they're going to Pakistan, I'll be going with them and I think that's important. It's an opportunity to show the players that we're in this together. The ACA accompanied Cricket Australia on a pre-tour of Pakistan late last year, and the reports were all very positive," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Greenberg as saying.
"But we'll continue to take the advice of DFAT and other government organisations, as we need to be able to satisfy not just the players, but their families, that it's safe to tour. There may be one or two players who won't be comfortable despite the best advice we give, and that's OK, we need to respect that," he added.
However, Greenberg has also said that a balance needs to be had between fulfilling international commitments and giving players the room to withdraw from tours if they feel the need.
"We have to be kind and patient with each other, and there'll be a player or two who say, 'You know what, this is not for me at this particular point in my life and career, I'm not comfortable going'. If that's the case, we need to have great respect for that," Greenberg had told SEN Radio during the Sydney Ashes Test.
Australia's tour of Pakistan will comprise three Tests, three ODIs, and one T20I.
The Tests will take place in Karachi (March 3-7), Rawalpindi (March 12-16), and Lahore (March 21-25), while Lahore will be the venue for the four white-ball matches to be played from March 29 to April 5.
The Tests will be played as part of the ICC World Test Championship, while the ODIs will be connected to the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League - a 13-team event from which the seven highest-placed sides and the hosts, India, will qualify directly for the event proper in 2023.
