ECB confirm England's tour of Pakistan for men's and women's teams is off

England will not travel to play Pakistan in October with both the men’s and women’s temas withdrawn from the planned tour over ‘increasing concerns about travelling to the region.’

The men’s team had T20 games planned on 13 and 14 October in Rawalpindi, while the women’s side were to play on the same dates before three more matches on 17, 19 and 21 of the same month.

New Zealand abandoned their tour of Pakistan last week after being alerted to a ‘specific and credible threat’ made towards them.

An ECB statement on England’s withdrawal read: ‘The ECB has a longstanding commitment to tour Pakistan as part of the Men’s Future Tours Programme in 2022.

‘Earlier this year, we agreed to play two additional T20 World Cup warm-up games in Pakistan in October, adding a short women’s tour with double headers alongside the men’s games.

‘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 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.

‘There is the added complexity for our Men’s T20 squad. We believe that touring under these conditions will 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. 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.’

It was to be England men’s first visit to Pakistan since 2005 and the women’s side first ever trip to the country.

Touring of Pakistan stopped in 2009 when gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team, with Pakistan moving most of their games to the UAE.

Teams have returned to Pakistan since 2015, but safety concerns remain.

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