There is no reason for Australia to not tour Pakistan next year, said batsman Usman Khawaja after New Zealand and England pulled out of their tours of the country recently. Khawaja, who has played 44 Tests, 40 ODIs and nine T20Is for Australia, said that it is easier for teams to refuse to tour countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh as opposed what the situation would be if it was India because of the monetary gains that are at stake.
“I feel it’s very easy for players and organisations to say no to Pakistan, because it’s Pakistan,” Khawaja is quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. “I think the same thing would apply too, if it were Bangladesh. But nobody would say no to India, if they were in the same situation.
“Money talks, we all know that, and that’s probably a big part of it. They keep proving time and time again through their tournaments that they’re a safe place to play cricket. I think there’s no reason why we shouldn’t go back.”
Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan and emigrated with his family to Australia when he was aged six, said that the past week has been “extremely disappointing” in a cricketing sense and that staging games in Pakistan should be a “big objective” for the global cricket community.
Australia are scheduled to tour Pakistan for two Test matches, three ODIs and as many T20Is in February and March 2022. After England and New Zealand pulled out due to security concerns, Cricket Australia said that will “talk with the relevant authorities once more information becomes known”.
