Five Reasons Why Australia’s Tour Is The Biggest Tour to Pakistan in History

India’s tours in 1978 and 2004 were special, but this feels even bigger given the years of isolation.

How Many Years Since

They are returning to Pakistan after 24 years. This is the longest gap for any Test nation. They are the first Western team to return to Pakistan after the attacks on the Sri Lankan team in 2009. They are the first Western team to tour since England’s visit in 2005. They are the first “big three” nation to return to Pakistan after the India tour of 2006. The pure numbers are astonishing. It is also the first tour to Pakistan where all 3 formats will be taking place and three different venues will be used to conduct matches on the same tour since cricket gradually returned following a Zimbabwe tour of the nation in 2015.

It is Australia coming of all teams

Australia have been guilty of having a reputation of being reluctant tourists to developing regions or troubled regions. And therefore to get them on board to complete a tour will be a big statement in Pakistan’s attempt to revive high profile bilateral tours on home shores. This is a breakthrough tour for the Pakistan Cricket Board and the fans of cricket in the country.

Not a Meaningless tour

From a cricketing point of view there is a lot of context behind the tour. The Tests are part of the ICC World Test Championship, the ODIs are part of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League and builds nicely into a Fifty-Over World Cup to be held next year in the sub continent and the standalone T20 international is against the current holders of the ICC T20 World Cup in a year that they will be defending their crown on home turf.

Recent Pull Outs By Other Western Nations

Given that Pakistan recently had two disappointing pull outs to contend with by England and New Zealand respectively, this tour gathers further interest and anticipation. It has got even bigger than it otherwise would have. Nonetheless, England and New Zealand will tour for 10 and 15 international matches respectively in the 2022-2023 season. England will tour for 7 T20 internationals prior to the ICC Twenty20 World Cup before returning for 3 World Test Championship fixtures after the completion of the tournament. New Zealand will follow for 2 Tests and 3 ODIs before returning for 5 ODIs and 5 T20Is in April 2023. But Australia gets the ball rolling.

Form Guide of The Two Teams

Both Australia and Pakistan are in-form and confident units with a “feel-good factor” surrounding their cricket presently across formats. Australia have obviously won The Ashes four zip on the back of winning a world title in the UAE whereas Pakistan have won 15 of their last 17 international appearances across formats since the start of the tour to the West Indies in July. For previous other big tours to Pakistan like India’s tour of Pakistan in 2004, Pakistan were going through a bit of a transition following the departures of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Saeed Anwar from the international scene and therefore I put this upcoming tour at the top. The current crop seem to be better than the 2004 side that took on India at home.

Concluding Thoughts

Ultimately the quality of cricket on display by both sides and the nature of the matches will determine how well this tour is remembered, but in terms of symbolic significance and anticipation, I strongly feel this is the biggest tour ever held on Pakistani shores. Australia are landing just a week today.