"It feels good to be part of a historic tour" - Steve Smith on playing cricket in Pakistan

As the cricketing world ardently awaits Australia's historic tour of Pakistan, players from both sides also cannot wait for the action to take the centre stage. Pakistan's 24-year long wait nears its end as Australia will visit the country for a tour that involves three Tests, three ODIs and a solitary T20I.

Australia batter Steve Smith shared how he is eagerly looking forward to playing the upcoming three-match Test series on Pakistan soil. Smith, who is a pivotal figure in Australia's Test batting line-up, finally has his dream fulfilled of featuring in a red-ball series in Pakistan. 

"I have always wanted to play a Test series in Pakistan because it's a challenge and finally we are getting that chance now. It feels good to be part of a historic tour which could see the full return of international cricket in Pakistan," said Smith as quoted by The Times of India.

"Many of us have come to Pakistan for the first time so it is an exciting tour for us and we are looking forward to some challenging cricket," he added.

After a false alert was sounded in the form of a death threat to spinner Ashton Agar, dark clouds loomed large over the tour. However, Cricket Australia and the Pakistan Cricket Board dismissed the threat as it was not found credible.

Smith opened up on the security arrangements for Australia in Pakistan and mentioned the team is feeling "incredibly safe".

"We're aware of social media and the unfortunate events that can occur on platforms. We've got a lot of people working here with us, we trust our security and we're feeling incredibly safe in Pakistan," the 32-year-old asserted.

The number four ranked Test batsman recently suffered a concussion while fielding in a T20I against Sri Lanka. He was then ruled out from the remainder of the series, which also casted doubts on his participation in the Pakistan tour. Giving an update on his progress, the Aussie vice-captain sounded positive to make the XI from the first Test onwards.

"It's the first session back for me facing fast bowling. I'm recovering from the concussion and I've faced some side-arm and spinners.

"The head has progressed really well the last few days. I'm feeling in a good space, done a lot of stuff where I've got my heart rate up to a good amount and brought it down ... all part of the protocols of getting back to playing," Smith informed.