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Australia confirm first Pakistan tour in 24 years

Cricket Australia on Friday confirmed its first tour of Pakistan since 1998, locking in a three-Test series despite lingering security concerns.

Australia will play Tests -- in Rawalpindi, Karachi and Lahore -- fresh off the back of a comprehensive home Ashes victory against England.


They will also play three one day internationals and a T20 capping the month-long tour on April 5.

"The tour will proceed for the first time in 24 years. This is a historic occasion and important for the global growth and health of the game," said Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley.

The tour will be a huge boost for Pakistan, which was hit hard when New Zealand and England abandoned recent tours over security concerns

Cricket-mad Pakistan has struggled to entice foreign sides back after home internationals were suspended after a deadly terror attack on the Sri Lanka Test side in 2009.

Pakistan were forced to play their home international matches abroad -- mostly in the United Arab Emirates -- until 2015, when normal service tentatively resumed.

"We are looking forward to an exciting series between two world-class teams," said Hockley.

The fixtures are:

March 4-8: 1st Test, Rawalpindi

March 12-16: 2nd Test, Karachi

March 21-25: 3rd Test, Lahore

March 29: 1st ODI, Rawalpindi

March 31: 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi

April 2: 3rd ODI, Rawalpindi

April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi

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Lakshmi Mittal quits Britain for Switzerland and Dubai over inheritance tax concerns

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  • Lakshmi Mittal, worth over £15 bn, has moved his tax residence from UK to Switzerland with plans to spend most time in Dubai.
  • Inheritance tax concerns, not income tax, drove the decision of the "King of Steel" to leave after 30 years in Britain.
  • The departure marks another high-profile exit as chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares major tax rises in the coming Budget.
Lakshmi Mittal, one of Britain's wealthiest men, has ended his three-decade association with the UK, relocating his tax residence to Switzerland and planning to base himself in Dubai. The 74-year-old steel magnate, worth approximately £15.5 bn according to the Asian Rich List 2025, is the latest prominent entrepreneur to leave Britain amid Labour's tax reforms targeting the super-rich.

The Indian-born billionaire built his fortune through ArcelorMittal, the world's second-largest steelmaker, in which he and his family hold nearly 40 per cent ownership. Since arriving in London in 1995, Mittal became a prominent figure in British business, acquiring expensive properties including a £57 m mansion on Kensington Palace Gardens known as the "Taj Mittal."

An adviser familiar with Mittal's family plans told The Sunday Times that, inheritance tax was the decisive factor in the decision. "It wasn't the tax on income or capital gains that was the issue, the issue was inheritance tax."

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