Web Desk(National Times)- Cricket Australia has announced an 18-member test squad for the much-awaited Pakistan tour in almost 24 years on Tuesday, starting on March 4 in Rawalpindi.

The tour, which will be Australia’s first in 24 years, is set to start and end in Rawalpindi, with the opening Test to be played from March 4–8 and the four white-ball matches to be played from March 29–April 5, a statement from the PCB said.

According to the statement issued by Cricket Australia, Mitch Marsh, Josh Inglis, and Mitchell Swepson are part of an 18-member squad, adding that spinner Ashton Agar’s name is the only addition from the extended group of players that won the Ashes series against England.

The Australia Test squad included: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, and David Warner.

As per the statement, none of the players from the Australian side have voted to withdraw from Pakistan’s tour while the limited-overs match squads will be announced later.

On the other hand, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has yet to announce the Test squad for the upcoming home series against Australia.

Australia to tour Pakistan for the first time in 24 years
The PCB had earlier announced the details of Australia’s first tour of Pakistan since November, 1998. The tour will take place in March and April 2022 and will include three Tests, three One-day internationals, and one Twenty20 international.

Karachi (3-7 March), Rawalpindi (12-16 March), and Lahore (21-25 March) will host the Tests, while Lahore will host the four white-ball matches from 29 March to 5 April.

The Tests will be part of the ICC World Test Championship, while the ODIs will be part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, a 13-team competition from which the top seven teams and hosts India will qualify directly for the 2023 event.