Special tour

In a column he wrote just before the first Test against Pakistan began at the Rawalpindi Stadium on Friday, Australia captain Pat Cummins commented: "We know this isn’t a normal tour". Cummins is right. Australia's first tour to Pakistan in almost 24 years is special in every sense of the word. It hasn't just ended a long and painful pause in the exciting cricketing rivalry between Pakistan and Australia. It has also opened up the possibility of regular full tours of other top-tier cricket teams to Pakistan in the future.

Coming right after a successful edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Australia's long-awaited tour has been seen as an important step forward towards ensuring international cricket's return to the country. It is not clear how the terrible Peshawar tragedy yesterday – with scores killed in the brutal attack – will affect the perception that Pakistan is safe for touring teams. A successful home series against Australia – with the authorities ensuring a smooth and safe time for the visiting team – is now all the more essential. While Pakistan should and will put its best foot forward as a land known for its hospitality, it should be a different story on the cricket field. Australia are currently one of the best teams in the world. The current series is part of the World Test Championship which adds to its importance. This series will certainly be Pakistan's best chance of conquering the mighty Aussies. They have the home advantage, something they seem to have fully exploited by preparing a spin-friendly wicket in Rawalpindi. Similar tracks are also likely to be laid out in Karachi and Lahore, the other two venues of the three-Test series.

It would be tough for any visiting team to counter Pakistan's potent spin attack on such low and slow wickets. But the Aussies have come well-prepared. They, too, have a world class spinner in Nathan Lyon. They also have some formidable batters in Steve Smith and David Warner and match-winning pacers like Mitchell Starc and skipper Cummins. Pakistan have the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and look good enough to prevail in their own backyard. This promises to be a highly exciting series that the entire cricket world will be watching. With all eyes on Pakistan, it is of utmost importance to make sure the series goes off smoothly and without any incident.