DARWIN – Australian coach Mickey Arthur is hopeful that the player camp starting in Darwin on Wednesday (today) will help his side warm up for upcoming tours in the UAE and Sri Lanka.

The camp is scheduled form August 8 to 15 in Darwin. Australian coach Mickey Arthur said the camp provided vital preparation for the upcoming season. Following the one off ODI with Afghanistan, Australia will play a total of six matches with Pakistan (three ODIs and three Twenty20 matches), before travelling to Sri Lanka for the World Twenty20 competition in September. “We’ve got a couple of important series coming up, in the UAE against Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September and after a disappointing series in England recently we feel this is a great opportunity to really put in some good preparation ahead of our next tours,” Arthur said. “Combine those practice conditions with Darwin’s warm temperatures at this time of year and it will give us the best preparation possible for these upcoming series,” Arthur was quoted saying by ICC official website.
The Australians suffered a disappointing 4-0 one-day series loss to England last month and will be keen to rebound against Afghanistan and Pakistan later this month in important 50-over and Twenty20 matches. Arthur said it was important to gather all of the players in Darwin, ahead of what looms as a crucial period for Australian cricket. “We’ve got a couple of important series coming up, in the UAE against Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September.