A threatening social media message sent to Ashton Agar’s wife has been investigated and deemed not credible ahead of the first Test of Australia’s historic tour of Pakistan.
The message contained a direct reference to the safety of Agar, who arrived in Islamabad on Sunday along with the rest of the Australian squad under extremely tight security.
The threat was subject to an investigation by the Pakistan Cricket Board, Cricket Australia and government agencies in line with the high level of security attached to the Australian team’s first tour of the country in more than 23 years.
“Cricket Australia is aware of a social media post, of which the nature and content has been investigated by the PCB, CA and combined Government security agencies,” said a CA spokesperson in a statement.
“There are extensive security plans in place for this type of social media activity, which, in this case, is not considered a risk. No further comment will be made at this time.”
Sporting News Australia understands that CA and the PCB are expecting attempts to disrupt the tour and were not surprised when the message was reported.
Ashton Agar was said to be in good spirits and satisfied with the results of the investigation.
The Australians have remained in the team hotel since arriving on a chartered jet but will train at Rawalpindi Stadium on Tuesday, a day after Pakistan’s first training session.
The strict security arrangements extend to road closures during the teams’ transportation from the hotel to the venue and an entire section of the hotel in Islamabad has been cordoned off for the use of both teams, with an extensive armed security cordon in place, both inside and outside the hotel.
The importance of Australia’s visit at a time when tours are gradually returning to the cricket-loving country has been heightened after New Zealand abandoned their tour of Pakistan last September, citing security concerns but CA were satisfied that sufficient measures were put in place after announcing the tour late last year.
Pakistan Tour Diary: On the road with the Australian cricket team.
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