Australia captain Pat Cummins said it was important for the team to do well on their tours of the subcontinent this year, starting with Pakistan, to fulfill their mission of retaining their world No. 1 ranking in the Test. Australia is ready to tour Pakistan in March. Following the dominant Ashes win, Australia are poised to play a 3-Test series in Pakistan from March 4th.
Cummins recognizes the wide variety of terms offered in Pakistan. The two sides will contest the first Test from March 4th in Rawalpindi, while the 2nd Test will start on March 12th in Karachi and the 3rd and final Test on March 21st in Lahore.
Australia have been preparing during quarantine in Melbourne, from where they will fly to Islamabad later this month.
“The obvious thing to do is win the series,” Cummins said.
“But I think that doesn’t necessarily look like two wins and one loss or whatever, it could be that we have to play some tough friendly matches and wait for a draw.
“A hard-fought five-day battle for a draw in a three-game streak could be as good as a win.”
“We don’t really know what to expect there, but friendly matches on the subcontinent can be played quickly or slowly.”
Since their triumph in India in 2004, Australia have won just five of the 28 Tests they have played in Asia, three of them against Bangladesh. Australia will host tests in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka in 2022.
“For many of this group we haven’t played much cricket abroad. So if we want to be number one in the world, we have to perform really well on these subcontinent tours and that starts in Pakistan,” Cummins said.
Patience would be key to making that happen, and Cummins said both batsmen and bowlers are up for the rigors.
“Obviously we bowlers prepare for the test matches, we’ve had some really long spells in the nets so we’re used to that.
“But I think it’s that mindset that it’s okay to get in on two runs per over while here you might be used to three or four runs per over,” he added.
