Fans have welcomed Australia's cricketers back to Pakistan, but the opening day of the first Test has been marred by a deadly bomb blast in the country.
Australia's return to cricket in Pakistan has been marred by a bomb blast that killed at least 45 people in a mosque around 185km northwest of the first Test in Rawalpindi.
As Pakistan celebrated the first day of the first Test, with the Australian team back in the country after a 24-year absence, the attack in Peshawar coincided with Friday prayer time and around 150 worshippers were inside.
Australia are not scheduled to travel to the city or any closer to the area, with the remaining matches in Karachi and Lahore.
Australian players have felt comfortable within the tight security bubble provided for them and there is confidence the attack will not impact the future of the tour.
It came just hours after Pakistan Cricket boss Faisal Hasnain made clear he wanted Australia's long-awaited return to the country to be a statement to the sport worldwide.
Fans held aloft signs celebrating Australia's return, with banners also welcoming Steve Smith to the country for the first time and Pakistan-born Usman Khawaja.
"In a world full of faithlessness and mistrust, be like Australian team. We warmly welcome Aussies to the land of peace," one banner read.
Friday's Test marks just the sixth in the country since the 2009 attack on a Sri Lanka team bus, with South Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka each featuring since December 2019.
Australia's return is significant, given New Zealand pulled out of a tour late last year just before the first match was to begin due to security concerns.
England then subsequently postponed their trip to the country, with that tour pushed back to later this year.
"This tour also sends out a strong and positive message to the entire world," Hasnain told reporters.
"I am confident that when the Australian team returns home they will leave with fond memories and will all hopefully become ambassadors of Pakistan.
"(This series) is about mutual respect, understanding and admiration. It's about all sides working together as a team towards a common objective.
"That's why we're all sitting here, demonstrating to the world that the international cricketing community remains firm in its unity."
Pakistan have hosted just 31 Tests at home in the past 20 years, with the war in neighbouring Afghanistan, a bomb blast outside a New Zealand team hotel in 2002 and the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus all prompting security concerns.
The longtime compromise to play Pakistan home series in the UAE prompted fears from Pakistan officials the game could be killed off at home and that the organisation itself would go broke.
Planning for this tour has been intense.
Around 4100 security personnel are in place to protect players, with Australia's group granted state guest status and vehicle convoys in place.
"A lot of players were very anxious about this tour some months ago, but that anxiety has turned to real excitement," Australian Cricket Association CEO Todd Greenberg said in Rawalpindi.
"And that's a really positive sign for global cricket."
