Cricket Australia has received firm assurances that Pakistan’s leading players signed to the Big Bash League will be available for the entirety of the tournament, despite a newly announced T20I tour of Sri Lanka scheduled for January.
CA chief executive Todd Greenberg addressed the issue during a wide-ranging media briefing on the morning of the third Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval, easing concerns that several high-profile Pakistan internationals could be withdrawn mid-season. The group includes Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali.
“We’ve been told that if they’ve been signed by the BBL, they’ll play the whole BBL,” Greenberg said.
The reassurance comes after the Pakistan Cricket Board announced a short T20I series in Sri Lanka in early January, prompting fears of a potential clash with the BBL window.
Greenberg also confirmed that plans for Australia’s upcoming T20I tour of Pakistan — scheduled ahead of the T20 World Cup — are progressing, with CA and the Australian Cricketers’ Association already sending representatives to Pakistan for a pre-tour security assessment.
“We’ve just sent a couple of people to Pakistan to do a pre-tour for the T20I games in February,” Greenberg said. “We’ll speak to the players after the Ashes and explain how everything will work from a security perspective. I went there myself in 2022, and it was an amazing experience.”
The three-match ODI leg of that tour, part of the Future Tours Programme, will be shifted to June after the IPL and PSL conclude. Those matches will align with Australia’s limited-overs fixtures in Bangladesh, which include three ODIs and three T20Is in the same month.
Greenberg also revealed venues for Bangladesh’s Test tour of Australia later in the year, confirming that Mackay and Darwin will host matches during the winter. Mackay will stage its first-ever Test, while Darwin marks the return of Test cricket to the Top End for the first time since 2004. Dates for the series are expected to be announced in January.
Meanwhile, CA remains firmly committed to hosting at least one day-night Test each year through to 2031. Greenberg said strong broadcast figures and fan engagement had cemented the pink-ball Test’s place in the calendar.
“I’ve just reviewed the numbers from the Gabba — the pink-ball Test was unbelievable,” he said. “The night session in particular gets double the viewers of a regular final session. It brings more people to the game and gets more people watching.
“It’s locked into our broadcast contracts until 2031, so it’s not going anywhere. We won’t overdo it, but it has real benefits. I know it won’t be loved by everyone, but this is part of the evolution of Test cricket.”
With BBL player availability clarified and international tours taking shape, CA’s schedule — both at home and abroad — is beginning to fall firmly into place.
