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AAP
AAP
Sport
Rob Forsaith

Aussies set to play in Pakistan T20 league

Jack Wildermuth has been drafted into the Pakistan Super League when it resumes in Abu Dhabi. (AAP)

Australians Jack Wildermuth, Jake Weatherald and Tim David have been given last-minute contracts for the second phase of the Pakistan Super League, which will be hosted in Abu Dhabi.

The Twenty20 league was suspended in March after several players, including Fawad Ahmed, and support staff contracted COVID-19.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has signed off on a deal to schedule the remaining 20 matches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The UAE is also expected to host the Twenty20 World Cup and remainder of this year's Indian Premier League, with cricket authorities likely to make those calls next month.

Dates for the resumption of Pakistan's T20 league are yet to be announced but players will soon arrive in the UAE, with the tournament set to finish in June.

Wildermuth, Weatherald and David were recruited in what was the third draft for the tournament, with Ben Cutting and Joe Burns among the latest withdrawals.

Australians Fawad, Usman Khawaja, James Faulkner, Callum Ferguson and Ben Dunk are also set to travel to the UAE to take part in the PSL.

It is the first chance for cricketers to play in a T20 league since the IPL was halted amid India's health crisis.

The federal government's India travel ban created a yes-no-wait-maybe saga for stranded Australian players, who flew to the Maldives then eventually returned home via charter flight almost two weeks after the IPL was suspended.

"I'm not sure it will create reticence (in the future) but it will ensure players do their due diligence before they sign agreements," players' union boss Todd Greenberg said earlier this month.

"We're enjoying our freedoms here in Australia. It is a very different place over there.

"If anything it sends a message to players about making sure you do your homework before making any decisions."

Two of Cutting and compatriot Pat Cummins' teammates at Kolkata Knight Riders tested positive for coronavirus, partly prompting the IPL shutdown.

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