England withdraw from men’s and women’s cricket tours of Pakistan

England have pulled out of next month’s men’s and women’s tours of Pakistan after New Zealand postponed their tour due to security concerns. The ECB in its statement said: “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. [caption id=“attachment_8770091” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  England men’s team were to play two T20Is in Pakistan. AP[/caption] “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 who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments. “There is the added complexity for our Men’s T20 squad. We believe that touring under these conditions will not be ideal preparation for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where performing well remains a top priority for 2021. “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.” Newly-appointed Pakistan Cricket Board chairperson Ramiz Raja accused the ECB of “failing a member of their cricket fraternity when it needed it most”.

New Zealand were to play three ODIs and five T20Is on their tour of Pakistan but pulled out minutes before the start of the first ODI in Rawalpindi after receiving a security threat alert. England men’s team was to play two T20Is in Pakistan while the women’s team was scheduled to take part in two T20Is and three ODIs.