Who cancelled England tour of Pakistan? Situation getting embarrassing for ECB as players declare ‘they didn’t do it’ – England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is under fire from all quarters for cancelling the tour of Pakistan. ECB who till date was shiedling themselves by claiming that the tour was cancelled only after discussion with the players – are now embarassed by their own team. According to a report by Daily Mail, ‘England Players Union have completely denied that any request to cancel the tour was made by the players’
Earlier, ECB was caught off-guard by the the British Hgh Commissioner Christian Turner who also denied of passing any official instructions against the tour of Pakistan.
This makes everyone question – Who actually cancelled the tour and why it was cancelled?
Also READ: IPL 2021: Atherton extremely angry, questions ‘tour cancelled for players welfare of IPL? …
Who cancelled England tour of Pakistan? Situation getting embarrassing for ECB as players declare ‘they didn’t do it’
Who cancelled England tour of Pakistan? In the latest twist, England players have strongly denied any reports of them denying to tour Pakistan after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), pulled out of the limited-overs series in the Asian nation. England were in line to play two T20Is in the build-up to the T20 World Cup, while the women’s team were scheduled to feature in five matches on the trip to Pakistan.
However, following the cancellation of New Zealand’s tour due to security concerns, ECB pulled the plug on the series as well, a decision that hasn’t been received well by the fans.
In a report by the Daily Mail, the England cricketers’ union have refuted claims that their players forced the ECB to pull out of next month’s Pakistan tour, insisting they were not even asked if they would travel. Team England Player Partnership (TEPP) said that they were in the dark and were told about the cancellation of the tour after the ECB members themselves met on Sunday.
ENG vs PAK cancelled – A TEPP spokesperson told Sportsmail: “At no stage has the ECB ever asked Team England Player Partnership or the teams, men and women, whether the tour should go ahead or whether players were prepared to tour Pakistan. At no stage has Team England Player Partnership informed the ECB that the players would not be touring.”
The spokesperson added, “The ECB board met last Sunday to debate the tour to Pakistan. That afternoon we were informed the tour had been cancelled. Team England Player Partnership was not asked for our input and we were not involved in the decision to cancel the tour.”
England tour of Pakistan – Who cancelled England tour of Pakistan? Earlier, reports suggested that an intervention from the players had stopped the series from going as scheduled after New Zealand’s cancellation. The Kiwis pulled out of the tour just hours before the first game of the series citing security risks, with the New Zealand Prime Minister also taking interest in matters. Confusion remains as to what prompted England’s pulling out of the Pakistan tour after the British High Commission revealed that the decision was purely made by the England Cricket Board.
Aakhir main jeet cricket kee hogee #PakVsEng@iramizraja @TheRealPCB pic.twitter.com/JNgOMcuD7Q
— Christian Turner (@CTurnerFCDO) September 21, 2021
The British Hgh Commissioner Christian Turner said, “This was a decision made by the ECB, which is independent of the British government, based on concerns for player welfare. The British High Commission supported the tour, did not advise against it on security grounds, and our travel advice for Pakistan has not changed. I have been a champion of international cricket’s return to Pakistan and will redouble my efforts in advance of England’s Autumn 2022 tour.”
ENG vs PAK cancelled: Michael Atherton was blunt in his assessment and openly questioned the ECB’s actions in his column for The Times. Atherton wrote, “Citing player welfare is strange when the ECB has essentially washed its hands of its players’ travel and cricketing commitments for three months of the year so that they can play in the Indian Premier League. If, as an employer, it is so wary of bubble and cricket fatigue, surely it should take more interest in the players’ availability for the IPL?”
He added, “This decision is worse than England’s withdrawal from South Africa last winter and India’s cancellation of the Manchester Test this month. While both those actions were hard to justify, they were at least understandable given Covid had come into close proximity to both teams.”
