On Monday, England national team opted out of the limited-overs tour to Pakistan due to security concerns and potential extra fatigue to their cricketers after playing in an excessively restricted environment within the Covid-19 pandemic since last year.
The men’s team’s short two-match T20I series that was due to be played out on October 13 and 14 in Rawalpindi was called off by the ECB amid fears around the “mental and physical well-being of our players and support staff.”
“We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region (to Pakistan) 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,”
the ECB stated in their media release.
The decision comes only three days after the New Zealand men’s team also opted out of their Pakistan tour at the last minute following a danger alert from their government and NZC’s own security advisors in Pakistan.
The ECB further said that the “added complexity” for England men’s team to take part in the T20 World Cup immediately after the series only made it more difficult for them to agree to tour Pakistan “under these conditions”.
This would’ve been England’s first bilateral assignment in Pakistan after 2005 but the Three Lions’ return to the Pakistani shores will now have to wait till 2022 when ECB said they remain committed to fulfilling their touring plans.
The England women’s team were also due to travel to Pakistan for the very first time for 3 ODIs and 2 T20Is – both of which were scheduled as double-headers alongside the men’s games – but that series also stands cancelled now.
