LAHORE, Jan 1: Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has said that Australia should tour Pakistan as per schedule in March as the environment for the game was quite safe.

Talking to reporters on Tuesday, Shoaib said that though there were political problems in the country, conditions would improve and be quite conducive when the team from Down Under tours.

He stated that other foreign teams which had toured Pakistan in the past were accorded full security protocol and no untoward incident occurred.

Malik added that he and other players were ready to play their role to convince the Australians to undertake the tour.

He said it was a great opportunity for Pakistani cricketers to play against the world champions and it would also be good for the spectators to see great Australian players in action here.

He said it was the right of any touring team to review the security arrangements and Pakistan would also like to do the same before touring any country. But in Pakistan security was not a problem for the players as the country had all adequate security arrangements.

AFP adds: Malik hoped his players will put the miseries of 2007 behind them and bounce back with strong performances in the next 12 months.

“Apart from a few positives the last year was not very good for us, but I am sure that the team will settle and do well in the New Year,” he said.

“Our series win over Sri Lanka and runners-up finish to India in the World Twenty20... were the bright points and if we keep that sort of intensity we can also improve our Test performance.”

Pakistan lost all three of their Test series — two against South Africa (home and away) and to arch-rivals India in India late last year.

“It’s not that we lost one-sided contests, but the notable thing was that we made minor mistakes and if we have learnt from those mistakes, which I am confident we have, then we can do well in this new year,” said Malik.