F.P. Report
LAHORE: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese invited the Pakistan cricket team to the PM House on December 5 after the Green Shirts reached Canberra via Sydney on Friday for the Test series.
Pakistan’s 18-man squad led by newly-appointed captain Shan Masood will go to the PM house on December 5 in Canberra. Cricket Australia (CA) has also invited the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee, Zaka Ashraf.
Ashraf is expected to watch the second Test which starts on December 26 — also known as Boxing Day — at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Ashraf will talk to the CA members on important matters as well during his stay at Down Under.
It must be noted that Pakistan will play a four-day First Class match against the Australian PM XI for the third time in history after matches in 1990 and 2005. The first PM’s XI fixture was played in 1951, whereas this will be the second under PM Albanese after a two-year hiatus before 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister XI
Nathan McSweeney (c), Cameron Bancroft, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Nathan McAndrew, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Beau Webster.
The playing XI will be supported throughout the match by the ATC Premier players who will have the chance to learn and train with the best domestic players available in the country.
Pakistan squad for Australia Tests
Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi
Australia tour schedule
Four-day match: PM’s XI vs Pakistan – December 6-9: Manuka Oval, Canberra
1st Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 14-18: Perth Stadium
2nd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 26-30: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
3rd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – January 3-7: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)
