England accused of ‘making excuses’ after pulling out of Pakistan tour

  • Men’s and women’s trips cancelled due to security fears
  • ECB has failed member of cricket fraternity, says PCB chair

England have been accused of “failing a member of their cricket fraternity” and “making excuses” after cancelling next month’s tour of Pakistan and citing mental wellbeing as one of the driving factors behind the decision.

The short trip was to be England’s first visit to Pakistan since 2005, featuring two double-header men’s and women’s Twenty20s in Rawalpindi on 14 and 15 October before Heather Knight’s women’s side stayed on for three one-day internationals. But it was plunged into doubt on Friday when New Zealand withdrew their men’s team from the country in response to a “specific” and “credible” security threat that was relayed to their government by intelligence services.

On Monday the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed the widely expected knock-on effect, calling off its tour citing “increasing concerns about travelling to the region” and a belief it would “add further pressure” to players who have operated in bubbles since the start of the pandemic.

  • Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
  • If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
  • In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
  • Turn on sport notifications.

Ramiz Raja, the former international batsman who is now chair of the Pakistan Cricket Board, tweeted: “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.”

Though expected, the decision was always likely to be met with dismay and anger in Pakistan, not least since the tour was arranged last November as a show of gratitude towards the PCB after it sent its Test side to the UK during the Covid-affected summer of 2020.

That series, during which the Pakistan players spent two months in the strict biosecure bubbles at Old Trafford and the Ageas Bowl, helped the ECB to avoid losses greater than the £16.5m deficit eventually recorded. Pakistan’s men also returned this year, playing six white‑ball matches despite a Covid‑19 outbreak forcing England to pick an entirely new squad.

The ECB thanked its counterpart for its support over the past two years and said the governing body was “sincerely sorry for the impact this will have on cricket in Pakistan”. With this came a promise to fulfil the full men’s tour that is scheduled for 2022 and features both Test and limited-overs cricket.

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.

— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) September 20, 2021

Explaining the decision to cancel this year’s visit, which was to act as a warm-up for the men’s T20 World Cup, the ECB said: “The mental and physical wellbeing 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 cancellation comes less than a fortnight after India pulled out of the fifth Test at Old Trafford in response to a Covid-19 outbreak among their support staff. Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, stressed the issue was one of mental health rather than being caused directly by the virus.

While one lost Test could damage the ECB to the tune of £40m unless rescheduled and offset by insurance, Pakistan cricket faces the prospect of more teams declining to tour and a return to the near eight-year exile that resulted from the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore. All eyes will now be on Australia’s men, due to visit Pakistan in February.

There will be a sense of relief among certain members of Eoin Morgan’s men’s squad, with a number shaken by New Zealand’s hasty withdrawal over the weekend. This was triggered by information from the Five Eyes intelligence network that also serves Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA, and came despite the PCB insisting its 4,000-strong security detail was “foolproof”.

The Spin: sign up and get our weekly cricket email.

It also means those currently playing in the second half of the restarted Indian Premier League – something made possible only by the postponement of England’s tour of Bangladesh – will now be able to play for their franchises during the knockout stages.

While a T20 World Cup campaign that begins on 23 October is set in stone, so too the Ashes series in Australia that follows (despite some player concern over quarantine), the England men’s tour of the Caribbean in early 2022 is set for a minor change to its white-ball leg. Originally scheduled to run from 28 January to 5 February, with the host island still to be announced, the five-match T20 series is likely to move forward by a week because of West Indies now playing in India. The three-match Test series scheduled for March is not expected to be affected.

Contributor

Ali Martin

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
England in talks about first Pakistan tour since 2005
England are in discussions over a short tour of Pakistan in January – their first visit to the country since 2005 – as a show of gratitude for helping to rescue the recent international summer

Ali Martin

15, Oct, 2020 @7:29 PM

Article image
Mark Wood admits worry over Pakistan tour after attack on Imran Khan
The England and Wales Cricket Board has no immediate plans to abandon their Test tour of Pakistan despite the attempted assassination of the former prime minister – and captain of the national cricket team – Imran Khan

Simon Burnton

04, Nov, 2022 @6:00 PM

Article image
England tours of Pakistan on knife edge after New Zealand pull out of country
The England and Wales Cricket Board will spend the weekend deciding whether to cancel next month’s tours of Pakistan after New Zealand abandoned their current visit to the country citing security advice

Ali Martin

17, Sep, 2021 @12:00 PM

Article image
Pakistan feel ‘used and binned’ by England’s withdrawal, says PCB chair
Pakistan have lost faith in English cricket and the promise of a tour in 2022, with contingency plans set to be drawn up amid a belief they will once again be left in the lurch

Ali Martin

21, Sep, 2021 @5:31 PM

Article image
England cricketers face biosecure tests in nine-week break from families
England’s Test cricketers have been told to expect daily temperature checks, regular Covid-19 swabs and possibly nine weeks away from their families for the summer Tests against West Indies and Pakistan

Exclusive by Ali Martin

06, May, 2020 @1:35 PM

Article image
England to play Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in summer 2016
Three Tests against Sri Lanka in May and June begin at Headingley on 19 May before Pakistan arrive in July for four Tests and five ODIs

Guardian sport

25, Aug, 2015 @11:36 AM

Article image
After 25 years of the Suits, is the spinning, self-interested ECB still fit for purpose? | Barney Ronay
Slick marketing Suits replaced the fusty Blazers 25 years ago but the cricket landscape now is very different to 1996

Barney Ronay

25, Sep, 2021 @7:00 AM

Article image
Pakistan tour of England to go ahead despite positive Covid-19 results
Pakistan have been confirmed as England’s second set of summer tourists despite the raft of positive Covid-19 test results among their squad during the past week

Ali Martin

26, Jun, 2020 @4:14 PM

Article image
England accused of poaching after rule change boosts Jofra Archer prospects
Jofra Archer, a highly rated Sussex fast bowler, will be available to play for England in next year’s World Cup and Ashes campaigns after the ECB changed its rules

Exclusive by Ali Martin

29, Nov, 2018 @8:01 PM

Article image
Three members of Pakistan tour party to England test positive for Covid-19
Three Pakistan players - Haider Ali, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan - who were due to tour England have tested positive for Covid-19

Ali Martin

22, Jun, 2020 @6:37 PM