Australian batter Steve Smith said on Tuesday the players “feel safe” in Pakistan, despite his teammate Ashton Agar receiving an online threat after landing in the subcontinent. The death threat, which was sent to the Agar’s partner on social media, was immediately reported to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket Australia (CA). However, the officials dismissed the threat as it came from an unverified source. “There are extensive security plans in place for this type of social media activity, which is not considered a risk in this case,” CA said in an official statement.
Smith said at a press conference ahead of the first Test in Rawalpindi that the Australian players are “excited” to finally play in Pakistan.
“We are aware of social media and the unfortunate events that can happen on platforms. We have a lot of people working with us here, we trust our safety and everyone involved, we feel incredibly safe here in Pakistan and we’ We be guided by our safety and the people we trust around us,” Smith told foxsports.com.au.
Smith, who was due to hit the nets on Tuesday, had suffered a concussion after hitting his head on the ground while fielding in a T20 clash against Sri Lanka at the SCG.
Despite saying he is in the right mood, it is not known whether Smith will play the first Test in Rawalpindi, which starts on March 4.
“The head has progressed really well in the last few days. I feel in a good space. I’ve done a lot of things where I got my heart rate up to a good pace and brought it back down, that’s part of the protocols I had some good hits in Melbourne before we got away but today it’s all about ticking off fast bowling and once that’s done you’ll be fine,” Smith added.
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Australia, in particular, is in Pakistan for the first time in 24 years.
In 1998, Australia toured Pakistan for a three-match Test series, winning 1-0.
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