Aussies lucky to play in Pakistan: Cummins

From being rolled on mats to Tubby's triple-treat, Pakistan has polarised Australia's cricketers.

But Test captain Pat Cummins says there's only excitement permeating his team ahead of Australia's first Test matches in Pakistan for 24 years.

"We feel lucky to come back here after basically a whole generation didn't get the opportunity," Cummins said ahead of the first Test starting Friday in Rawalpindi.

Only five Tests have been played in Pakistan since a terrorist attack on Sri Lanka's cricketers in Lahore in 2009.

None were played in the decade after the Sri Lankan's team bus was shot at by about a dozen gunmen, injuring six cricketers - six Pakistani policemen and two civilians were killed during the attack.

Only last September, New Zealand abandoned a tour just hours before a T20 International in Rawalpindi, citing a security threat. Soon after, England cancelled a scheduled tour.

But Cummins and co have stressed they feel safe in a country where Australia first played a Test match in 1956.

That landmark match ended in ignominy for Ian Johnson's Australians: a nine-wicket loss on a jute matting pitch in Karachi.

After the matting was rolled out, Australia was rolled for 80 all out en route to defeat as a Karachi police superintendent, Fazal Mahmood, took 13 wickets for the game.

Australia returned in 1959 and won 2-0 in the three-Test series - the triumph was Australia's last series victory in Pakistan for 39 years.

After a drawn sole Test in 1964, Australia only returned in 1980 when 1-0 losers in a three-Test series punctuated by two cricket rarities.

After losing the series-opener, captain Greg Chappell summed up his feelings for a flat Faisalabad track in the second Test by bowling all 11 of his team in