Opinion
We finally are back on tour again and soon take the field in Pakistan for the first time in 24 years.
We have a bad reputation of our own making in terms of touring away, but for once Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association has made us proud.
Pakistan needs all the support it can to reignite cricket in their country and while India won’t visit, England and NZ cancellations hit their reputation hard.
South Africa and now Australia touring hopefully builds the confidence needed for others to follow suit
Anyway, for fans of both countries, this build-up has been fantastic.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
For once, Fox got the rights early and got the PSL on the telly as well, acquainting the Aussie audience with a flavour of the stadia, the fans and the environment.
Pakistani fans have been exceptionally warm on social media, a rarity on any kind of social media these days.
Updates have come in near real time. There has been either player interactions or pressers everyday and it all adds to the anticipation.
Hopefully the Test series lives up to its billing. We have some mouth-watering clashes with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne versus Shaheen Shah Afridi, or Babar Azam versus Pat Cummins.
In recent times we’ve seen some brilliant Test performances and as long as we can compete in alien conditions, we should be in for a cracker of a series.
It does put into perspective how boards and broadcasters play up a series. Apart from Ashes or the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, most don’t generate enough excitement.
Australia, India and England play each other way too much. The Ashes are frankly boring and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is fast moving into overkill territory.
NZ, Pakistan and South Africa all hopefully can provide more challenges in home-and-away conditions for the Test game to thrive. I’m more pepped up for this than I was for the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy or the recent Ashes.
If Australia can somehow draw the series, I’m confident it’ll be a huge boost to our World Test Championship chances, but I’ll predict a competitive 2-1 to the hosts.
For fans like me who love Tests, this hopefully is our month to enjoy before the T20 brigade takes over most of the remaining year.
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