Staff Report
Islamabad: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry “extremely delighted” to know that England will tour Pakistan after a gap of 16 years in October.
Fawad says Pakistan has come a long way from the devastating attack on the Sri Lanka team in 2009.
PCB had confirmed last year that England would Tour Pakistan for a limited-overs series in 2021.
Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry announced on Friday that the British envoy has confirmed the English cricket team will be touring Pakistan in October and will play a complete Test series next year.
”Extremely delighted to know that after a gap of 16 years, October this year English Cricket Team will be visiting Pakistan,” tweeted Fawad after his “lovely meeting” with British envoy and his “friend” Christian Turner.
The minister also shared that the English team will tour next year as well for a “full Test series”.
“We have come a long way from the devastating attack on [the] Sri Lanka team,” said Chaudhry.
England to tour Pakistan in October 2021
Last year in November, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had confirmed that England would be visiting Pakistan for a short tour this year, marking the first visit by an English team to the country since 2005.
A joint announcement by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the PCB confirmed the England men’s team will make their first visit to Pakistan in 16 years when they will play two Twenty20 Internationals in Karachi on October 14 and 15, 2021.
According to the schedule, the England team will arrive in Karachi on October 12, and both teams will depart for India on October 16 for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the end of the series.
The ECB confirmed the tour evening following an invite by the PCB for a short tour in January 2021.
England last toured Pakistan in 2005 when they played three Tests and five ODIs. The series between the two sides in 2012 and 2015 were played in the United Arab Emirates.
International cricket in Pakistan was stopped after terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team’s bus during a Test match in Lahore in March 2009.
Pakistan was playing its home games in the UAE ever since the attack but different countries recently agreed to play cricket in Pakistan after the security situation improved.
