This is the first time in 16 years as the England team is set to travel to Pakistan to be involved in playing 2 T20 International in Karachi on 14th and 15th of October 2021.
England had to cancel their plans on touring Pakistan in January as they already have their schedule packed as they look to tour Sri Lanka and India at the start of 2021. On the other hand, many other important players are committed to their T20 franchises as they look to play in the BBL.
Agreements have been made by the ECB and PCB as look forward to the T20 World Cup Cup in India and as a result, England will be travelling to Pakistan on 12th of October and both the teams will be leaving for India on 16th of October. With the 2 T20’s they will play will be named as a part of the preparation for the upcoming grand event which is most likely to be held in November in India.
It was 2005 when the England Cricket Team had last toured Pakistan where they played 5 ODI’s and 3 Tests. They also locked horns in 2012 and 2015 but the matches were played in the UAE.
The Chief Executive of ECB Tom Harrison was delighted to announce that the England Cricket Team will be touring Pakistan in 2021. He believed that it is a significant moment for both the nations as they will be touring Pakistan first time for 16 years.
He further added that they hold a strong relationship with PCB and look forward to ensuring the safe return of cricket in the beautiful nation as it holds the majority of passionate fans.
The team and staff safety will the first and last agenda and this is why the ECB is in straight talks with the PCB in arranging the best possible security around the players and keeping in mind the Covid-19 crisis and the management will be done accordingly.
It will be ideal preparation for both the teams as they head for the T20 World Cup taking place in India.
For the initial return of International Cricket in the country, Pakistan has requested ECB to plan a visit sooner than 2022 as the ECB had plans to tour Pakistan in 2022 for a Test series but PCB wants it to be done earlier.
The chief executive of PCB Wasim Khan was quite delighted to announce that England will be touring Pakistan to play 2 T20 Internationals in October. This will help in opening the doors for white-ball cricket in the future he believed.
Wasim Khan further added that the whole squad and which is a full-strength squad of England will be coming to Pakistan. With Austalia given their word they also expect Austalia to tour them soon.
He also believed that the arrangements made by the PCB will be liked by the England Cricketers which will convince and motivate them to play more cricket in the country and initially play the PSL as well which growing and among the top leagues in the world.
The return of International Cricket in the country will give a huge boost to the cricket fans as they have been patiently waiting for this moment. The tours made by England, South Africa and New Zealand in 2021 will mark the opening of return of cricket to the Pakistan nation.
The Building of trust and confidence among the nations and boards over the past 2 years has made progress and the results will be in front of the fans soon.
Lastly, Wasim Khan thanked the Board of England for making this short tour a reality. He further appreciated the efforts of PCB as it is their hard work that England is touring Pakistan and International Cricket is returning to the country.