After New Zealand, Now England Cancels Pakistan Cricket Tour
We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region and
believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group, ECB
said
The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced that it will not be sending
men's and women's teams to Pakistan later this year. The board cited
increasing concerns about travelling to the region as behind the decision,
without going into details. England is the second nation to cancel plans for a
Pakistan tour after New Zealand last week.
Disappointed with England, pulling out of their commitment & failing a member of their Cricket fraternity when it needed it most. Survive we will inshallah. A wake up call for Pak team to become the best team in the world for teams to line up to play them without making excuses.
— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) September 20, 2021
“Earlier this year, we agreed to play two additional T20 World Cup warm-up
games in Pakistan in October, adding a short women's tour with double headers
alongside the men's games. The ECB Board convened this weekend to discuss
these extra England Women's and Men's games in Pakistan and we can confirm
that the Board has reluctantly decided to withdraw both teams from the October
trip," the cricket body said in a statement on Monday.
Pakistan was a no-go zone for international cricket teams for a decade after
terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009. The ambush
killed seven people and injured several Sri Lankan cricketers. International
teams resumed touring Pakistan in 2019.
“The mental and physical well-being of our players and support staff remains
our highest priority and this is even more critical given the times we are
currently living in. We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to
the region and believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing
group," it added.
ECB said there is the added complexity for our Men's T20 squad as touring
under “these conditions" will not be ideal preparation for the ICC Men's T20
World Cup.
“We understand that this decision will be a significant disappointment to the
PCB, who have worked tirelessly to host the return of international cricket in
their country. Their support of English and Welsh cricket over the last two
summers has been a huge demonstration of friendship. We are sincerely sorry
for the impact this will have on cricket in Pakistan and emphasise an ongoing
commitment to our main touring plans there for 2022."
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