England to play two more T20Is in Pakistan next year in bid to repair relations

The PCB and the ECB have come to an agreement to play an extra two T20Is on England’s scheduled tour of Pakistan next year to make up for their decision to cancel last month’s trip at the last minute

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England will play an extra two T20Is when they tour Pakistan next year in a bid to repair their relations, following the ECB ‘s decision to scrap their scheduled tour of the country in October.

The ECB cancelled the tour at short notice, citing “the mental and physical well-being of our players and support staff” and “increasing concerns about travelling to the region” which they said “will add further pressure” on their players.

That did not go down well with their counterparts at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), with chairman Ramiz Raja accusing them of “failing a member of their Cricket fraternity when it needed it most.”

England are now set to tour Pakistan next year to play five T20Is ahead of the T20 World Cup, before returning to contest a three-match Test series after the tournament is over.

Now, after ECB chief executive Tom Harrison and deputy chairman Martin Darlow flew to Pakistan for a meeting with Raja, they have agreed to play two additional T20Is to make up for the two that were scrapped.

There is no news on whether the England women’s tour of Pakistan, which was set to take place at the same time as the men’s tour, will be rescheduled.

Harrison said: “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.

“We also talked with our colleagues at the PCB around pathway engagement, how we can support proposals around the women’s game and some interesting ideas around the domestic agenda here in Pakistan.

“We’re going to build on these plans going forward together and we’re excited about that too.”

Raja added: “We are excited that England have committed to playing two additional T20Is as part of their white-ball tour in September/October in 2022.

“We put in lot of efforts to make sure that all visiting teams are comfortable in Pakistan. As such, it is a matter of pride for the Pakistan fans, who look forward to welcoming Australia and England in 2022.”