The England men’s cricket team will play two additional T20Is against the hosts when they tour Pakistan in September-October 2022, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chief Executive Tom Harrison has announced.
The announcement by the ECB CEO was made after his meeting with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) newly appointed Chairman Ramiz Raja in Lahore on Tuesday.
Notably, the ECB’s top administrator has flown to Pakistan to re-establish relations with the PCB which was strained after England cancelled its Pakistan tour in September, citing “increasing concerns about travelling to the region”, just days after New Zealand also pulled out of a tour to Pakistan over security concerns.
Commenting on his meeting with Raja, ECB Chief Executive Tom Harrison said: “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 cancelation 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.”
“We’re happy to announce that we’ll play two extra white-ball T20Is on our men’s tour of Pakistan in September/October 2022. We will then return after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia to complete the Test match element of that tour. 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.
On the other hand, Raja expressed: “The ECB have shown their large heartedness to be here for which I am thankful to Tom and Martin. It means a lot to us. 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.”
“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 added.
After Pakistan, Harrison is scheduled to visit the UAE later this week for an International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executives’ meeting.
Earlier, the ECB after cancelling the recent tour, had assured the PCB that it will play a full series against Pakistan next year.