Australian Test star Steve Smith says players feel “incredibly safe” in Pakistan in the wake of an online threat against his teammate Ashton Agar which was reported to and investigated by government security officials.
The death threat, sent to the Agar’s partner via social media ahead of Australia’s historic tour of Pakistan, was not considered a real threat to the players who are travelling with unprecedented levels of security.
Players were set to venture from their team hotel for the first time on Tuesday for a training session at Rawalpindi Stadium, where Australia will play a first Test in Pakistan since 1998.
Smith said all the players were well aware of what could come at them via social media and that they “trust our security”xjmtzyw while in the cricket-mad country.
“We’re aware of social media and the unfortunate events that can occurs on platforms,” Smith said.
“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.”
The social media post, believed to have originated in India, was investigated and dismissed as a risk by the Pakistan Cricket Board and government security agencies once it was reported to them.
“There are extensive security plans in place for this type of social media activity, which, in this case, is not considered a risk,” A CA statement said.
Smith was due to face fast bowling on Tuesday for the first time since he suffered a concussion while fielding in a T20 clash against Sri Lanka at the SCG in February.
Facing the fast men was the last box the run-machine had to tick before being cleared to play his first Test in Pakistan.
“The head has progressed really well the last few days. I am feeling in a good space,” Smith said.
“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.
“It’s the first time a lot of us have been here, we are really excited. I’m just excited to be here in Pakistan and bringing Test cricket back here.”
The first Test begins on Friday.
