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LONDON: The England Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday decided to cancel its tour to Pakistan after New Zealand pulled its team out at the last-minute ahead of its series opener citing “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.
“We can confirm that the Board has reluctantly decided to withdraw both teams from the October trip.”
🇵🇰 #PAKvENG 🏴
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 20, 2021
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.”
The ECB said there was an “added complexity” for its men’s T20 squad, as it believes that touring under “these conditions” would 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,” the ECB said.
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,” the statement concluded.
England’s men and women teams were due to play two Twenty20s in Rawalpindi on October 13 and 14. The women’s team is also due to play three ODIs in Pakistan on October 17, 19, and 21.
However, following New Zealand’s last-minute withdrawal from their tour of the country due to a security threat, the fixtures have been scrapped. The ECB use the same security consultants – ESI Security – as NZC.