England Men and Women tour of Pakistan 2021 Cancelled over security concerns.
In a major blow to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), England cricket has decided not to send its players for the upcoming tour of Pakistan over security threats. The decision came three days post New Zealand’s withdrawal from the Pakistan tour.
It is worth noting that New Zealand pulled back from entire Pakistan vs New Zealand series minutes before the toss of the first ODI at Rawalpindi. As per the reports, the kiwis got multiple red flags from their government for the security of its players and management and hence the cricket board called back its players abandoning the tour.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday backed the intelligence reports and withdrawn from both Men and Women tour to Pakistan in October 2021.
“The Board has reluctantly decided to withdraw both teams from the October trip,” the ECB said in a statement.
“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.”
Pakistan’s anger after England Cricket pull off:
The decision has raised several questions on England Cricket and its players. Pakistan cricket now feels betrayed by its allies.
Ramiz Raza, the newly elected chief of Pakistan Cricket, showed his anger towards the ECB’s decision, “disappointed with England.”
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“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,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja said on Twitter.
Pakistan Cricket was steadily growing with confidence, after being a no-go zone for several big countries for many years, as it was scheduled to host international cricketing giants on the trot before and after the T20 World Cup 2021.
Nearly after 10 years of being a no-go cricket country, Pakistan was making a big comeback and betrayal from its closest counterparts is a huge setback for them.
It is noteworthy that Pakistan visited England during the peak covid situation across the world without even having a second thought of the safety of their players. England and Pakistan completed the entire tour without any hassle despite being in strict bubbles.
“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 statement added.
“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.”
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