England have withdrawn from their joint men’s and women’s tour of Pakistan next month, citing concerns over the “mental and physical wellbeing” of their party, and drawing an angry response from their would-be hosts.
The historic limited-overs trip to Rawalpindi, which would have been the first ever by an England women’s team and the first by their male counterparts since 2005, was under doubt following New Zealand’s hasty departure from the country on Friday.
While the Black Caps pulled out after what they called a “specific and credible” threat to their team, and following intervention from the New Zealand government, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) appeared to indicate a more general unease around the visit had caused it to back out.
In a statement announcing the decision, the ECB referenced “increasing concerns about travelling to the region”, the amount of time players had spent in restricted environments and preparations for the subsequent T20 World Cup.
There was also an apology to Pakistan and a renewed commitment to complete a full Test tour in 2022, but the initial reaction from their end suggests there are now considerable bridges to rebuild.
The white-ball tour had been arranged in part as an expression of gratitude for Pakistan’s decision to help save England’s international summer last year, by travelling at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
‘Disappointed’
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chair Ramiz Raja took to Twitter shortly after the announcement, writing: “Disappointed with England, pulling out of their commitment and failing a member of their cricket fraternity when it needed it most. Survive we will... A wake-up call for [Pakistan] team to become the best team in the world for teams to line up to play them without making excuses.”
The ECB statement was a longer exercise in rhetoric that is unlikely to dampen any frustration or force the PCB’s Birmingham-born chief executive, Wasim Khan, to reassess the views he relayed on Sunday evening.
During a conference call with reporters, he stressed his hope and belief that England would fulfil their schedule, indicating that the most recent security assessments offered no reason to cancel.
“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 statement continued.
“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 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.”
Contrition
There was a note of contrition too, with the statement concluding: “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.”
England had already agreed to postpone a separate tour of Bangladesh, also initially scheduled for October, and pulled out of a one-day series in South Africa in December due to mental health concerns surrounding a Covid outbreak.
They were on the other side of things earlier this month when India decided they were unable to play the fifth Test at Emirates Old Trafford following positive cases in their camp.
In sum, the international calendar is buckling in a variety of pressure points as the strains of playing through a pandemic and the uncertain security status in some regions begin to tell.
