The men and women of England were to play the two-game T20 series simultaneously; The ECB’s decision follows the abandonment of the New Zealand tour to Pakistan; PCB President Ramiz Raja criticizes England for “failing a member of their cricket fraternity when they needed it most”
PCB President Ramiz Raja has accused England of “failing a member of its cricket fraternity” after the joint men’s and women’s tour of Pakistan was canceled next month.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the decision on Monday due to concerns about “physical and mental well-being”.
The historic trip, which would have been the first by an England women’s team and the first by their men’s counterparts since 2005, was in doubt from the moment New Zealand pulled out of its own series in Pakistan on Friday citing a threat to the security.
Raja used Twitter to express his disappointment and promised that Pakistan would use it as motivation to become the best team in the world.
He said: “Disappointed in England, abandoning his commitment and failing a member of his cricket fraternity when he needed it most.
“We will survive inshallah. A wake-up call for Pak’s team to become the best team in the world for teams to line up to play against them without making excuses.”
Wasim Khan, the Birmingham-born executive director of the Pakistan Cricket Board, had said on Sunday that he looked forward to and believed the tour would go ahead as scheduled.
The PCB is confident in its security arrangements and believes the country is safe to host international cricket despite New Zealand’s hasty departure.
The men’s matches, which were intended to serve as preparation for the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, were scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi on October 13 and 14. The England women were also scheduled to play two T20 matches. against Pakistan on the same dates as the men.
The ECB acknowledged that the news would not go down well with opponents who helped rescue England’s summer 2020 by traveling in restrictive bubble environments at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We understand that this decision will be a significant disappointment for the PCB, which has worked tirelessly to host the return of international cricket in its country,” the statement said.
“Your support of English and Welsh cricket over the past two summers has been a great show of friendship. We sincerely regret the impact this will have on cricket in Pakistan and emphasize a continued commitment to our major touring plans there for 2022.”
The ECB statement began: “The ECB Board met this weekend to discuss these additional England Women and Men matches in Pakistan and we can confirm that the Board has reluctantly decided to withdraw both teams from the October trip.
“The mental and physical well-being of our players and support staff remains our top priority and this is all the more critical given the times we are currently living in. We know there is growing concern about traveling to the region and we believe that we will continue to do so. will do “. Adding more pressure to a gaming group that has already faced a long period of operation in restricted Covid environments.
“There is additional complexity for our men’s T20 squad. We believe that traveling in these conditions will not be the ideal preparation for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where performing well remains a priority for 2021.”
New Zealand abruptly abandoned its tour of Pakistan on Friday citing a security alert, in a massive blow to the South Asian country’s hopes of hosting regular international cricket.
The tour was due to start with the first of three one-day international matches in Rawalpindi on Friday, but the New Zealand team did not travel to the stadium. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern endorsed New Zealand Cricket’s decision to end the tour.
International teams have largely refused to tour Pakistan since an attack by Islamist militants on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009 that killed six policemen and two civilians, although Sri Lanka were the visitors when Pakistan staged a first local men’s test for 12 years in 2019.
New Zealand’s decision to go home is feared to influence more nations, including Australia, which is scheduled to visit in February-March next year, and they also appear cautious.
A Cricket Australia spokesperson said the organization was monitoring the situation and would “speak to the relevant authorities once more information is known.”
