Pakistan cricket has suffered a huge setback again after preparing to host international series for a long time. After New Zealand abruptly cancelled the ODI series moments before the opening game, the England Cricket Board(ECB) has also decided to cancel the series. Ramiz Raja, who recently became PCB Chairman has not seen a bright start to his term as the fog of 2009 attacks at Sri Lankan team continues to encapsulate international cricket in the nation.
However, unlike New Zealand, England didn’t quote “security concerns” and rather took the line of COVID-19 protocols.
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
The board released the following statement
Reaction by PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja can be read in the tweet below: