The England tour of Pakistan for a short T20I series is set to be postponed till October. The availability of top players and cost-related matters are the reasons behind this delay. The series which was tentatively scheduled for January-February is expected to be moved to October before the T20 World Cup in India. The decision has been arrived at after proper consultation from top heads from both the boards.
“The problem arising is that early next year England will be engaged in series with Sri Lanka and India and some of their T20 specialist players are also signed up for the Big Bash in Australia. The other problem is the costs involved in England touring Pakistan” a source aware of the developments said.
Also Read: BCCI Rope in MPL As Kit Sponsors Of Team India
England Tour of Pakistan Postponed To October 2021
Both the boards are trying to avoid the cost included in travel and then setting up a base camp in Dubai for training purposes, due to it being a three-match series.
“As it is just a three-match series with Karachi the likely venue, the costs of flying the English team by a chartered flight after holding a training camp in Dubai does not make it cost-effective for the England board,” he said.
The official further said that the senior officials of the respective boards have chosen the month of October as a more viable option owing to the World T20 to be held in India.
“The boards had discussed the more viable option of shifting the series to October as that would allow the full England T20 team to stop over in Pakistan for the short series before flying to India,” the source said.
England have not played in Pakistan since 2005 and inviting England for a tour to the country is an effort by the PCB of bringing back the game of cricket for its fans.
Various teams including India, New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh have denied touring the country owing to the constant political tension surrounding the Indian neighbours.
Also Read: BBL 2020-21 Full Schedule
