The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) stated that they have received an invitation to tour Pakistan for a white-ball series in the early part of next year. While there isn’t any confirmation of the schedule yet, ECB have expressed their willingness to go ahead with the tour and that they are working with PCB to overcome all the hurdles.
Interestingly, England have not travelled to Pakistan since 2005 and as per the Future Tours Programme (FTP), their next trip is likely to be in 2022.
ECB have set their priorities straight. Checks on Covid-19 bio-secure bubble and security for the team in the country top the list.
The busy cricketing calendar is one of the main challenges that England will have to address in order to make the proposed series possible.
"We welcome the fact that international cricket is returning to Pakistan and are committed to doing what we can to help this develop further," ECB said in a release.
"As with any proposed tour that takes place at this time, the safety and welfare of our players and staff is paramount," the release further said.
"As such, there are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration, including the proposed protocols in relation to COVID-19 bio-secure bubbles, the proposed levels of security around the team, as well as the feasibility of undertaking this tour against the backdrop of an already busy schedule of international cricket for the England men's team."
England are set to travel to India for a full Test series followed by limited-overs series. The tour to Pakistan could take place in the same window. Zimbabwe were the first team to visit Pakistan in 2015 since the terror strike on Sri Lanka’s team bus back in 2009. Earlier in 2020, Bangladesh played a Test match in the country before the second match was postponed due to Covid-19 outbreak.
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