The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) introduced on Monday that England’s tour of Pakistan in mid-October for the 2 T20Is – males’s and girls’s double-headers – has been cancelled. This comes within the wake of New Zealand’s cancellation of Pakistan’s tour final week resulting from safety threats.
Once New Zealand canceled their tour on the day of the primary ODI in Rawalpindi, England’s return grew to become a formality, though the ECB had mentioned to debate the matter final weekend. Both international locations used the identical safety company, ESI Security, headed by Reg Dickason.
The ECB issued a press release at this time confirming the pull-out. “The ECB has a longstanding dedication to tour Pakistan in 2022 as a part of the Men’s Future Tours programme. Earlier this 12 months, we agreed to play two extra T20 World Cup follow video games in Pakistan in October, which included a brief girls’s tour with a double. Header with males’s recreation.
“The ECB Board convened this weekend to discuss these additional England women’s and men’s games in Pakistan and we can confirm that the Board has reluctantly withdrawn both teams from the October visit,” the assertion mentioned. have determined to take it.”
The response of the Pakistan Cricket Board up to now on the cancellation has been disappointing. Newly-elected PCB chairman Ramiz Raja reacted angrily to New Zealand’s return, posting on Twitter: “NZ will hear us out at the ICC”. His tweet after the ECB’s determination learn: “Disappointed with England, backing off on commitment and failing a member of our cricket fraternity when it needed it most. Save us 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 excuse. “
“We can confirm that the Board has reluctantly decided to withdraw both teams from the October Tour.”
I #PAKvENG I
— england cricket (@englandcricket) September 20, 2021
But financial losses apart, there’s a heavy foreboding within the Pakistan cricket fraternity that cancellation of back-to-back excursions may have severe hostile results. “It is a setback, as it may reduce our next generation’s interest in cricket. Seeing the superstars in the body motivates the youth to take up the sport. Without cricket at home, this percentage may go down in the times to come. This is a big dent. The younger generation is the biggest loser here,” former Pakistan opener Shoaib Mohammad informed The Indian Express.
PCB chairman Rameez Raja reacts @ecb_cricket Decision to withdraw from Pakistan tour subsequent month pic.twitter.com/hvPqHqdBcj
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 20, 2021
The ECB cited the “mental and physical well-being” of the cricketers and assist workers as the explanation for the cancellation. “The mental and physical well-being of our players and support staff remains our top priority and is even more important in the time we currently live in. We are aware that there are growing concerns about field travel and The move is confident that going forward will put further pressure on a playing group that has already worked long hours in a restricted COVID environment,” the assertion mentioned.
It added: “There is extra complication for our males’s T20 squad. We imagine that touring in these circumstances wouldn’t be superb preparation for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the place performing properly is a prime precedence for 2021.
When cricket resumed in England final 12 months, Pakistan went to play an away sequence within the ambiance of Kovid. The ECB provided its honest apology to the PCB.
no-go zone
Pakistan grew to become a no-go zone for worldwide cricket for almost a decade after the terrorist assault on the Sri Lanka group bus in Lahore in 2009. After worldwide cricket returned to the nation, groups started touring for brief sequence. However, the house assignments towards New Zealand and England have been high-profile affairs and Shoaib agreed that the most recent growth may put a severe query mark on future residence sequence in Pakistan.
“The major cricket playing countries will once again be in two minds whether to go or not. Other countries come here but unless we are hosting major countries, there will be a void. When we host, especially England and Australia again, Pakistan cricket will be fully restored,” he informed this paper.
Hours earlier than the primary ODI towards Pakistan on 17 September, New Zealand’s first match scheduled within the nation in 18 years, the Black Caps deserted the tour, appearing on a safety risk. And after the withdrawal of England, a piece in Pakistan cricket has began questioning the PCB and its worldwide clout.
“The PCB was completely off. He could not move a muscle. Rather they were not in a position to move a muscle. Look, Pakistan’s security forces are known as one of the best in the world, but New Zealand thought otherwise, which was a sorry story for cricket. Indeed, there is an administrative void in the PCB. Earlier, the top PCB officials used to be seasoned administrators with top-notch connections. This was known to the members of the ICC. This void cannot be filled overnight with the involvement of Rameez Raja. Now she has to play her part,” Shoaib mentioned.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
