The Australian squad landed in Islamabad for their historic tour of Pakistan which is their first visit in 24 years. The last time Australia visited Pakistan was in 1998 under the captaincy of Mark Taylor.
The Pat Cummins-led side will play three Tests and then Aaron Finch will take over the limited-overs duties as Australia plays three ODIs and one T20I. The three Tests will be played on March 4, 12, and 21 in Rawalpindi, Karachi, and Lahore respectively.
The three ODIs will be played on March 29, 31, and April 2, along with the only T20I to be played on April 5, with Rawalpindi hosting all the white-ball matches.
The 35-member strong Australia squad landed in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, and will be hosted in a hotel with nearly 4,000 police and military personnel guarding the site.
WATCH - Rashid Khan asks Virat Kohli and Babar Azam for their opinion on his cover drive shot
"The squad will be given 'head of state-level security. Such arrangements are only made for high-level foreign delegations, (and) the president and prime minister of Pakistan,” a spokesman for Pakistan's interior ministry told AFP.
Roads will be blocked off when the Australians make the 15-kilometer (11-mile) commute, with their team bus to be shadowed by army helicopters. Snipers will be positioned on buildings surrounding the stadium, while nearby shops and offices have been ordered to close on match days, the interior ministry said.
Similar arrangements will be in place for matches in Karachi and Lahore. The Australians will be confined to quarters for 24 hours after arrival for Covid tests, before intense training ahead of the first Test starting 4 March.
Ace batter Steve Smith posted a photo of the players in the Australia team bus.
"We've got to a place where everyone hopping on the plane is comfortable with where it's all sitting. It's been a really thorough body of work that the security and the logistics teams have worked through,” Cummins told reported prior to delivery.
The PCB posted a photo of Cummins in team hotel and the Australia Test captain quoted the tweet, saying, “Great to be here in Islamabad. Excited for the series!”
(AFP inputs)
