Australia cricketer Ashton Agar was the subject of a death threat, which his partner Madeleine received on social media after the team travelled to Pakistan for an all-format tour, which begins on March 4. Cricket Australia and the Pakistan Cricket Board, however, do not believe it to be a credible threat.
The Australia cricket team have flown to Pakistan for the first time in 24 years for a three-match Test series which will be followed by three ODIs and a sole T20I. As many as 4,000 security personnel have been deployed to safeguard the team hotel in Islamabad as international cricket slowly but surely marks a return to the country. Last year, New Zealand abandoned their tour of the country mid-way following a security threat, and the ECB had cancelled their white-ball tour over “mental and physical wellbeing” of the players.
Australia are set to travel to the country for a six-week tour, set to take place shortly after the conclusion of the successful hosting of the Pakistan Super League which featured a whole host of overseas stars. The threat was confirmed by a team spokesperson; it was immediately conveyed to the CA and the PCB, with investigations not finding the threat to be credible.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the threat to Madeleine, which has suggested to have been sent by a fake Instagram account belonging to a user in India, read: “This is a warning for your husband Ashton Agar if he comes to tour against Pakistan he won’t come alive.”
CA later released a statement and confirmed that the player is “not at risk”.
“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.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.”
