The Australian cricket team is in Pakistan to play three Tests, three One-day Internationals (ODIs) and one Twenty20 International (T20I). The series will start and end in Rawalpindi with the opening Test match to be played from March 4-8.

The limited-overs matches will be played from March 29 to April 5. Rawalpindi is to host all the three ODIs to be played on March 29 and 31 and April 2. The tour will end with a one-off T20I to be played at Rawalpindi on March 5.

The three Tests will be part of the ICC World Test Championship, while the ODIs are linked to the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League from which the top eight sides, including hosts India, will qualify directly for the 2023 50-over World Cup.

The Pakistan tour is the first away series for Australia's new Test captain Pat Cummins. It is the Australian cricket team's first tour to Pakistan in 24 years. They last visited Pakistan in 1998.

It was feared that some Australian players may opt out of the tour, but Australia named a full-strength Test squad for the series.

After the New Zealand pullout hours before a T20 International in Rawalpindi in September last year, the Australian cricket team's tour to Pakistan is a big moment for cricket lovers. The Kiwis abandoned the eight-match tour after a forged security threat. Later, the England cricket team also cancelled their tour of Pakistan citing the same reason. A safe and successful tour by Australia could encourage other nations to tour Pakistan without any fear.

The final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) seventh edition is being played today. Foreign players, commentators, and umpires from around the world took part in the league and all are very satisfied with the security provided to them.

Australia is a tough opponent. They are confident after winning their home series against England and T20 series against Sri Lanka, but the Pakistan team has been playing good cricket in recent times. Therefore, a good contest is expected between the two teams.

The Australian cricket team's record in Asia is not good. To check Pakistan team's strengths and weaknesses, the Australian cricket team watched the Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in order to understand the game of the hosts.

The Aussies interim coach Andrew McDonald has admitted that the Australian team faces difficulties when playing in the sub-continent.

The Green-shirts under the leadership of Babar Azam have been in good form and if batsmen, including Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Fawad Alam and Mohammad Rizwan, posted decent totals on the board, bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali have the ability to restrict the Aussies batting under the target.

Records showed that most of Pakistan's famous victories, especially against major teams, came either by a narrow margin or by the heroic efforts of some outstanding individuals.

Our pacers only bowl fast and short. The era of yorkers seems to have ended with the careers of Wasim and Waqar. The two Ws got lots of wickets with their lethal yorkers, especially against the tail-enders.

Spinners' performance will be crucial to Pakistan's success in the series and if they find rhythm on their day, the Greenshirts can win the Test series.

The two countries have played 26 Test series. Australia have won 14 while Pakistan remained successful in seven series. Five Test series ended without any result.

Overall, Australia and Pakistan have faced each other in 66 Test matches. The Kangaroos have a clear edge with 33 wins while Pakistan remained victorious on 15 occasions.

Australia's 624-8 is the highest innings total between the two teams that was scored in Melbourne in 2016. Pakistan's highest total against Australia is also 624 that came in Adelaide in 1983.

Pakistan were bowled out on 53 and 59 against Australia in Sharjah in 2002. It was the Greenshirts' worst Test performance against any country. Australia's lowest innings total came in Karachi when the visitors were bowled out on 80 in 1956.

Pakistan have lost 14 successive Tests in Australia: three each in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2017 and two in 2019. The last time Pakistan won in Australia was way back in December 1995 by 74 runs in Sydney when under Wasim Akram, the bowlers restricted Australia to 172 while chasing a modest total of 247. Leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed was the Man-of-The-Match with 5-95 & 4-91.

Former captain Javed Miandad is the most successful batsman in Tests played between the two nations with 1797 runs in 25 Tests between the two nations. He averaged 47.28, scoring six centuries and seven fifties.

Allan Border scored 1666 runs in 22 Tests for Australia against Pakistan at an average of 59.50, hitting six hundred and eight half-centuries.

Former Australian skipper Mark Taylor played the longest innings -- 334 not out in Peshawar in 1998. Saleem Malik's 237 in Rawalpindi in 1994 has been the highest individual score from Pakistan.

Saleem Malik's 557 is also the highest score in a three-Test series, which he accumulated in the 1994-95 series in Pakistan. Graham Yallop scored 554 runs for Australia in the 1983-84 series. But that series consisted of five matches.

On Australian soil, Azhar Ali was the first Pakistan batsman to score 400 runs in a series, in Australia in 2017. He raced past Mohsin Khan's 390 in 1983-84. He also became the first Pakistan double-centurion down under.

Former spin great Shane Warne took 90 wickets in 15 Tests against Pakistan, averaging 20.17. Former captain Imran Khan is on top from Pakistan with 64 wickets at an average of 24.96.

Greg Chappell, Kim Hughes and Mark Taylor led Australia in 9 Tests each against Pakistan. Javed Miandad led Pakistan 9 times against the Aussies.

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