England to play seven T20Is in 2022 tour of Pakistan
England will play seven T20Is on tour of Pakistan in 2022
|England will play two additional T20Is on their tour of Pakistan in September and October 2022, apart from the originally planned five-match T20I series. Earlier in October, England had backed out of the two-match T20I series in Pakistan, citing the mental health issues of the players in the squad.
Ahead of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021, New Zealand and England were scheduled to tour Pakistan for the white-ball series'. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) faced a severe blow as New Zealand abandoned the entire tour before the first ODI in Rawalpindi citing security threats, and a few days later England too cancelled their men’s and women’s tours, stating the mental health concerns of the cricketers.
However, ECB have confirmed that England will tour Pakistan in September 2022 to play two additional T20Is, apart from the originally planned five-match T20I series. The England team will return to Pakistan again for a three-match Test series after the conclusion 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. The Test series will be a part of the ICC Test Championship.
ECB Chief Executive Tom Harrison stated that he had a face-to-face conversation with the Pakistan Cricket Board along with ECB's Senior Director Martin Darlow. He further stated that the two boards have had discussions regarding the upcoming matches between England and Pakistan.
"Myself and ECB's Senior Director Martin Darlow visited Lahore to talk face-to-face with the PCB around some of the things that have happened over the past few weeks, leading to the cancellation of our tour in October. We also wanted to discuss the future as the two boards have a historic relationship and want to move the agenda towards a forward-looking one as opposed to one looking back,” Tom Harrison said in a statement," Harrison said in a statement.
"This is just to reaffirm our commitment to Pakistan cricket to getting England teams, men's and women's teams, eventually playing in Pakistan at home.I don't think there's a cricketer in England who doesn't want to test their abilities against the huge talent this country has and in the conditions they know best," he added.
Reflecting on the series, PCB chief Ramiz Raja said that it is a matter of pride for Pakistan fans to welcome Australia and England in 2022.
"We put in lot of efforts to make sure that all visiting teams are comfortable in Pakistan," Ramiz said. "As such, it is a matter of pride for the Pakistan fans, who look forward to welcoming Australia and England in 2022. England have got a great team and it's mind-boggling how they've produced so many match-winners in a span of about five to seven years. They play very engaging and attractive cricket, which is fantastic for the fans and a big advertisement of the game,” he stated.
