Australia Arrives in Lahore for T20I; Pakistan Awaits Government Approval

Australia has landed in Lahore for their upcoming T20I series against Pakistan, which is crucial for the host nation’s World Cup preparations. With uncertainty looming over Pakistan’s participation in the T20 World Cup, scheduled to kick off on February 7, the series will serve as a significant test for the team.

Aussie Squad Arrives in Lahore

Led by Mitchell Marsh, Australia’s T20I squad arrived on Wednesday for a three-match series. This marks Australia’s first visit to Pakistan since mid-2022, although several senior players, including Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, are absent due to injury recovery.

Pakistan’s Upcoming Decisions

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, has indicated that a final decision regarding the team’s participation in the World Cup will be made soon. After meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Naqvi mentioned that all options remain on the table. A definitive announcement is expected by Friday or next Monday.

Controversies Surrounding the T20 World Cup

Pakistan has expressed objections to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) choice to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the World Cup lineup. This change was prompted by concerns raised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board regarding security issues preventing their team from traveling to India for the matches.

Despite these challenges, Pakistan has officially announced its squad for the T20 World Cup. The team composition remains largely the same as the one selected for the series against Australia, with one notable exception: fast bowler Muhammad Wasim Jr is excluded from the World Cup roster but is available for the T20I series.

Australia’s T20I Squad

The Australian team features players such as Travis Head and Cameron Green, who are both coming off performances from the Ashes series. Here’s the complete squad:

• Mitch Marsh (c)
• Sean Abbott
• Xavier Bartlett
• Mahli Beardman
• Cooper Connolly
• Ben Dwarshuis
• Jack Edwards
• Cameron Green
• Travis Head
• Josh Inglis (wk)
• Matthew Kuhnemann
• Mitch Owen
• Josh Philippe (wk)
• Matthew Renshaw
• Matt Short
• Marcus Stoinis
• Adam Zampa

As both teams gear up for the series, all eyes will be on Pakistan’s final decision regarding the World Cup and how they perform against Australia in this vital preparation phase.