Security in Pakistan gave players peace of mind: Faf du Plessis.

LAHORE -- As South Africa is set to play their first Test in Pakistan after 14 long years, the team's former captain and middle-order batsman Faf du Plessis shared how his experience of visiting Pakistan contributed to Proteas' decision to play red-ball cricket in the country.

The classy middle-order batsman captained an International Cricket Council (ICC) World XI team for three T20Is in Lahore in 2017 and then returned to Karachi last year for Peshawar Zalmi in the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 playoffs.

The 36-year-old is in line to play his 68th Test but first in Pakistan when the two-Test series starts on January 26 at the National Stadium.

'That [ICC World XI tour] was the first step to bring any sort of cricket back and I think what they did really well at that stage was to bring players from all around the world to come and play and to see that the security levels were going to be very, very good and it gave players peace of mind,' du Plessis said in a video shared by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday.

'I was captaining that team so for me to go back into South Africa, and then speak of my experiences that I felt safe in Pakistan was a huge tip-in where we are today,' he added.

The South African batsman said that it was imperative that Pakistan players continued to play their cricket on their home soil with the same zeal and hope that more international players will tour their country in near times.

'It's important for Pakistan to play in home conditions. They have been playing in the UAE for the last 11 years. So, their fans have...