Since Australia's national team last toured the Asian nation in 1998, Pakistan has been thrust into the international media spotlight on several occasions, demonstrating why the country became a no-go zone for almost two decades.

Relatively safe during the 1990s, Pakistan became a much more dangerous place in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Since then the country has witnessed countless suicide bombings, the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and was the hideout of former al-Queda leader Osama bin Laden before he was killed by American forces.

It also almost went to war with India in 2002, and in 2009 was the scene of a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus, which killed six policemen and two civilians.

Over the past decade, the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) has grown in force and orchestrated numerous terrorist attacks in the country, especially in the west nearer the Afghanistan border. The country remains a complicated corner of the world.

Cricket Australia's announcement this week that it would return in March next year was a monumental development in Pakistan's immediate future.

Australians have played cricket in Pakistan since Mark Taylor's side toured in 1998, mostly as part of the country's Twenty20 Super League, or in the case of skipper Tim Paine, as a member of the World XI team in 2017. Security on that particular tour, Paine said, involved helicopters whirring above the team bus and security checkpoints for "every kilometre into the ground".

But Australia has rightly avoided touring Pakistan as a national team for an entire generation. And now it's returning, albeit with several caveats.

Taylor famously scored 334 not out in Peshawar on the last tour of the country.

The historic city will not be visited during Australia's March tour - it's close to the Afghan border, and remains far too dangerous.

Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore will instead play host to a three-Test series, while Lahore will host all of the white-ball matches. All three are garrison cities with international airports, and heavily guarded luxury hotels.

Pakistan's Cricket Board has long courted major international rivals to return to the country. promising ample security and safety, without much success.

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England and New Zealand both cancelled tours scheduled for this year, while recent away series between Pakistan and Australia have been played in the United Arab Emirates.

Australia's relationship with Pakistan is a key connection in the delicate political fabric of Asia. This decision to return only strengthens that bond through an injection of cricket diplomacy.

Military relations between the two nations have, historically, generally been positive. Pakistani officers have previously been invited to train in Australia at military universities, and vice versa.

And Australia's diplomatic mission in Pakistan has always supported their touring cricket team. In decades past, it was not uncommon for the wives of high-ranking diplomats in Pakistan to make sandwiches for the Australian cricketers.

Again, that was at a time where the country offered much more stability for locals and tourists alike. In those days touring cricketers would have the opportunities to experience more of the beautiful country, soaking up bustling city life or relaxing at a mountain retreat.

The 2022 tour will look vastly different, on and off the field.

Taylor's team won that 1998 three-Test series one-nil, with Stuart MacGill the leading wicket taker and Mark and Steve Waugh anchoring the middle order.

On-field results aside, Paine's 2022 team is set to play a major role in rebuilding Pakistan's global reputation.