The England men’s and women’s cricket teams were scheduled to tour Pakistan in October as part of preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 but that is not going to take place now.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced in a statement that they are officially pulled out of Pakistan’s tour, stating ‘increasing concerns about traveling to the region.’ This comes just 3 days after New Zealand’s last-minute withdrawal from their limited-overs tour of Pakistan due to security threats.
The ECB had a long-standing commitment to playing in Pakistan as part of its future tour schedule for 2022 and an official statement from the ECB affirmed that. Earlier this year, the board agreed to play two additional T20I matches in Pakistan to make a good preparation for the World Cup in October.
The ECB added that the board had agreed to take a tour of the men’s as well as the women’s. As a result, the ECB sat down to discuss the extra matches for England’s men’s and women’s teams in Pakistan this week. But despite reluctance, the board has decided to withdraw the two teams’ October tour.
England was to play in Pakistan after 16 years with this tour. After the last visit to the country in 2005, England stopped visiting Pakistan due to security reasons. However, the ECB has given a positive message about going to Pakistan on a pre-scheduled visit in 2022.
The ECB said that it understood the decision was a major disappointment for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which was working tirelessly to bring international cricket back. The PCB’s support for the ECB over the last two summers is a much bigger display of friendship. ECB is sincerely sorry for its impact on Pakistan cricket but the ECB’s main tour plan in 2022 will remain active.
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