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LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja on Monday asserted that he was disappointed with England after the country’s cricket board decided to back out of a scheduled October series.
Taking to Twitter, the PCB chairman said, “Disappointed with England, pulling out of their commitment & failing a member of their Cricket fraternity when it needed it most.”
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
Not giving up hope, the newly-elected chairman said Pakistan would survive, as he mentioned that this was a wake-up call for the national team to become the best in the world so that other sides would line-up to play with them without making excuses.
The England Cricket Board (ECB) had decided to cancel its tour to Pakistan days after New Zealand had pulled its team out at the last-minute ahead of its series due to “security” concerns.
“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 board said in a statement.
The board cited, “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.”
However, the ECB said the “mental and physical well-being” of its players and support staff remains their highest priority, and this was even more critical given the times “we are currently living in”.
England’s men and women teams were due to play two Twenty20s in Rawalpindi on October 13 and 14. The women’s team are also due to play three ODIs in Pakistan on October 17, 19, and 21.
