"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried" - Mark Wood concerned for safety ahead of Pakistan tour after attack on Imran Khan
England speedster Mark Wood has admitted concerns over their upcoming tour of Pakistan after a shooting incident involving former Primer Minister Imran Khan.
Imran was shot in the leg multiple times during a rally. The former Pakistan skipper escaped any serious injury, but the incident might rethink overseas teams from visiting Pakistan.
Wood, who was part of the England squad that visited Pakistan for the seven-game T20I series in September, praised the security arrangements. He, however, admitted that the shooting incident had him worried.
He was quoted as saying by The Guardian:
"From the security we had then I can only mention what we came across, and it was fantastic. We were looked after really well, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried because you’re going back there when there’s been trouble. If you break it down and think what it was like when we were there it was pretty good for us, we were looked after really well."
The three-match Test series, scheduled to commence on December 1 in Rawalpindi, will be England's first Test in Pakistan since 2005. It comes as another significant breakthrough for the Asian country, where teams have ceased to tour due to safety concerns.
"It'll be for people above me to decide whatever happens" - Mark Wood
The Durham speedster has left it to the stakeholders to decide the fate of the tour and expects them to make the correct decision. Wood added:
"So it’ll be for people above me to decide whatever happens. But obviously it’s worrying when you’re going back there as a cricketer and there’s unrest in the country, but that’s for their country to deal with. We trust our security guys so if they say it’s all fine then we go, but I don’t know if this changes it."
England won the T20I series in September by a 4-3 margin and will hope to replicate that success in the Test rubber as well if the tour goes ahead.