ENG vs PAK | England players unavailable for Pakistan tour but they are playing IPL, asks Michael Atherton

England was supposed to play Pakistan on their soil for the first time since 2005, but they abandoned the tour citing players' bio-bubble fatigue earlier this week. The announcement from the ECB came not long after New Zealand withdrew from their white-ball series against Pakistan, minutes before its start in Rawalpindi.

“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,” Atherton wrote in his column for ‘The Times’.

Now, of course, those who are playing in the tournament will be available for the knockout stages. It suits India and England, but not Pakistan, who have no direct stake, their players being barred still from the competition.”

The former England captain also wrote that this decision was far worse than England abandoning the tour of South Africa in late 2020, and India cancelling the fifth Test in Manchester earlier this month.

Earlier, PCB chairman Ramiz Raja had expressed his disappointment on England's withdrawal, and stated that they'd be ready with a back-up, should the need arise during the 2022 series. Atherton added that he understands the sense of betrayal and anger among Pakistan fans, and that the ECB had a chance to ‘repay the debt and do the right thing’.  

“English cricket, the governing body and players, had a chance to do the right thing this week. They had a chance to repay a debt, uphold their honour and side with a cricketing nation that has undergone challenges others cannot even begin to contemplate. Instead, citing a mealy-mouthed statement, they did the wrong thing,” he wrote.

Atherton observed that while it was completely understandable that a lot of players are suffering from bubble fatigue in COVID-19 times, the ECB could still have picked a team to tour Pakistan.

“Player welfare is an important issue, especially so with Covid, and the implication is that the wariness of travelling to Pakistan after New Zealand’s withdrawal would exacerbate those concerns. The players were spooked.

The former England captain believes that Australia’s decision to tour Pakistan won’t be any different.

“Australia’s reputation for doing the right thing is as bad as England’s, so it would be a surprise if they front up in February. Pakistan will be facing a financial hammer blow,” he added.