I won't be surprised if some Australia players don't tour Pakistan: Josh Hazlewood

Australia are scheduled to tour Pakistan in next month for the first time since 1998. The two teams are set to face each other in three Tests, as many ODIs and a solitary T20 International with the tour starting from March 3. With England and New Zealand canceling their tours to Pakistan last year, Australia traveling successfully for a full-fledged tour will be a huge thing for the regular revival of international cricket in the country.

Cricket Australia (CA) has been pretty much committed to fulfilling the tour but pacer Josh Hazlewood has said that he will not be surprised if some of his teammates pull out. He acknowledged the work being done by CA and Australia Cricketers Association (ACA) but felt that the final decision to tour will be in players’ hands who might decide not to tour eventually.

“There’s a lot of things in place and there’s been a lot of work in the background by CA and the ACA. So the trust is quite high there from the players, but there’d certainly be some concerns from the players and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them didn’t make the tour,” Hazlewood said according to cricket.com.au.

Everyone respects players’ decisions, says Josh Hazlewood

Josh Hazlewood also reckons that even if some of the players decide not to tour Pakistan, it shouldn’t be a problem and everyone should respect their decision. “And that’s very fair. People will discuss it with their families … and come up with an answer and everyone respects that,” the pace bowler added.

Australia are currently gearing up for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at home starting from February 11. Josh Hazlewood is part of the squad having revived his white-ball career since his exceptional performance in IPL 2021 and the T20 World Cup.

As for Australia’s Pakistan tour, they will be departing after February 20 when the third and final T20I is scheduled to be played against Sri Lanka. Also, the squads for the tour are likely to be announced soon.