Australia's Pakistan tour to be played in Colombo and Sharjah

Cricket officials have confirmed that Australia's three-Test tour of Pakistan will now be played in Sri Lanka and Sharjah.

The first Test will be played at Colombo, after which the two teams will travel to the desert city of Sharjah for the final two games.

The date and exact venue of the Colombo venue will be confirmed shortly, but is expected to start soon after the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka that finishes on 29 Sept.

Australian Cricket Board (ACB) had refused to tour Pakistan, claiming that the safety of their players could not be guaranteed.

New Zealand were forced to abort a Test series last March after a bomb explosion outside their team hotel in Karachi killed 11 people.

In February West Indies had also refused to tour Pakistan, forcing their two-Test tour of Pakistan to be played at Sharjah.