ECB to review security for England’s tour of Pakistan amid crisis in Afghanistan: Reports
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will review security for England's upcoming tour of Pakistan in the wake of the crisis in Afghanistan.
England are scheduled to visit Pakistan for the first time in 16 years in October. While the men's team are supposed to play two T20Is in Rawalpindi, the women's side are due to feature in two T20Is and three ODIs.
Following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, though, there are serious security concerns over the tour considering Pakistan’s ties with the organisation.
An ECB spokesperson was quoted as saying in The Daily Mail:
"For any tour there's ongoing security procedures and checks. We continue to plan for the men's and women's tour of Pakistan this autumn."
Apart from the scheduled short tour, England had also agreed to a full series in Pakistan, featuring one-dayers and Test matches, at the end of 2022.
Pakistan were starved of international cricket after a terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009. Following the incident, teams refused to travel to Pakistan, who had to make the United Arab Emirates (UAE) their temporary home venue. Only in recent times have other national teams begun visiting Pakistan again.
If the ECB decides to go ahead with the Pakistan tour, there is a possibility that some England players could opt out due to security concerns. Skipper Eoin Morgan and opener Alex Hales had skipped a tour of Bangladesh in 2016 for the same reason.
England players given go ahead to feature in IPL 2021
Meanwhile, several England players are all set to feature in the second half of IPL 2021 in the UAE. There was some uncertainty earlier over the availability of England cricketers. However, with the white-ball series between England and Bangladesh, which was scheduled to be held in September postponed, the path has been cleared for England players to head to the UAE.
According to media reports, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is looking to reschedule the series against England for early next year.
The second half of IPL 2021 will begin in the UAE from September 19. India and England are currently engaged in a five-match Test series in the UK. Following the conclusion of the series on September 14, IPL players from both teams are likely to head to the UAE on the same chartered plane and have a bubble-to-bubble transfer.
If England’s tour of Pakistan for the two-match T20I series on October 14 and 15 does go ahead, England, like New Zealand, are likely to send a side without their IPL recruits.