England calls off tour to Pakistan after New Zealand, cites players' concerns

Pakistan cricket's woes have coupled as England has now called off their tour shortly after New Zealand called off their tour due to security concerns. The England Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement on Monday informing that the safety of their players and support staff was of their utmost concern and that they were pulling out of the series.

ECB releases statement to call of Pakistan tour

"The ECB has a longstanding commitment to tour Pakistan as part of the Men's Future Tours Programme in 2022.

"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 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."

Earlier, former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi had tweeted saying that England must need to show more appreciation of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) via 'actions and not words.' He was confused by New Zealand's decision to abandon the tour as he insisted that 'Pakistan remains a safe place.' He also added that Pakistan supported ECB in the worst of times during the COVID pandemic last year.

On September 18, an extended 33-member New Zealand cricket squad left for Dubai on a chartered flight from Islamabad, a day after abandoning its entire tour of the country over security fears. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) called off the series in Pakistan abruptly on Friday just before the first One-Day International at the Rawalpindi stadium, citing they had received a serious threat.

Neither the New Zealand board nor their government has shared the nature of the threat with the Pakistan government, security officials or the Pakistan Cricket Board. New Zealand had arrived in Pakistan on September 11 for a white-ball series after 18 years and were scheduled to play three ODIs and five T20 Internationals.

(With PTI inputs)