"Feeling Incredibly Safe In Pakistan": Australia's Steve Smith Ahead of 1st Test

Australia batter Steve Smith on Tuesday said that the players "feel safe" in Pakistan despite his teammate Ashton Agar receiving an online threat after landing in the sub-continent nation. The death threat, sent to the Agar's partner on social media, was immediately reported to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket Australia (CA). The officials, however, dismissed the threat as it was generated from an unverified source. "There are extensive security plans in place for this type of social media activity, which, in this case, is not considered a risk," CA had said in an official statement.

Smith, during a press conference ahead of the first Test in Rawalpindi, has stated that the Australian players are "excited" to finally play in Pakistan.

"We're aware of social media and the unfortunate events that can occurs on platforms. We've got a lot of people here working with us, we trust our security and everyone involved, we are feeling incredibly safe here in Pakistan and we'll be guided by our security and people we trust around us," Smith was quoted as saying by foxsports.com.au.

Smith, who was due to hit the nets on Tuesday, had suffered a concussion setback after knocking his head on the ground while fielding during a T20 clash against Sri Lanka at the SCG.

Despite saying that he is in the right frame of mind, it is not known whether Smith will play the first Test in Rawalpindi, which starts on March 4.

"The head has progressed really well the last few days. I am feeling in a good space. I have done a lot of stuff where I have got my heart rate up to a good rate and brought it back down, that's part of the protocols of getting back to playing. I had a couple of good hits in Melbourne before we came away but today is just about ticking off facing fast bowling and once that's done everything will be fine," Smith added.

Notably, Australia are in Pakistan for the first time in 24 years.

In 1998, Australia had toured Pakistan for a three-match Test series, and won 1-0.

Topics mentioned in this article

Australia Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Cricket Steven Smith Ashton Agar