Was England's women team consulted on Pakistan tour cancellation?

The England Cricket Board (ECB) decided to cancel the team's tour to Pakistan

By Web Desk
September 21, 2021
The England Cricket Board (ECB) decided to cancel the team's tour to Pakistan

England women's team skipper Heather Knight on Tuesday said she was not consulted on the matter of abandoning the tour to Pakistan, and that it was the board's decision.

The England Cricket Board (ECB) decided to cancel the team's tour to Pakistan, three days after New Zealand pulled its team out at the last minute due to "security" concerns.

When asked what her reaction was to her team not touring Pakistan, she said: "It's out of our hands, the board has met and made its decision; we just found out about that yesterday [...] it's not one of those things that I want to comment on much today."

"It was a board decision, so we were told we are not going to tour — and that's the end of that," she said after losing the toss to New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine for the third ODI.

The women teams of both England and New Zealand are playing their scheduled third ODI at Leicester despite a security threat, which was held to be "not credible" by the New Zealand Cricket.

After cancelling the tour to Pakistan and expressing regret, ECB said, "we understand that this decision will be a significant disappointment to the PCB", who have worked tirelessly to host the return of international cricket in their country.

The ECB, however, said the "mental and physical well-being" of its players and support staff remains their highest priority, and this was even more critical given the times "we are currently living in".

England's men and women teams were due to play two Twenty20s in Rawalpindi on October 13 and 14. The women's team were also due to play three ODIs in Pakistan on October 17, 19, and 21.

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