England to tour Pakistan after 16 years

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that the England cricket team will visit Pakistan for a short tour in October 2021.

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— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 18, 2020

According to details, England’s men’s team will make their first visit to Pakistan in 16 years for a two-match T20 International series next October. The two games, to be held in Karachi on October 14 and 15, will be part of the 2021 T20 World Cup build-up.

England will arrive in Karachi on October 12, and both the sides will depart for India on October 16 for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the end of the series.

Sharing his thoughts on the development, PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said: “I am delighted to confirm that England will be touring Pakistan to play two T20Is in October 2021. This will be their first visit to Pakistan for 16 years and will open the door for both Test and white-ball tours in the 2022-23 season.”

He added, “The ECB’s confirmation further endorses Pakistan as safe and secure. Importantly, this announcement speaks volumes for the relationship that we have with the ECB and I would like to thank the ECB for their strong will and desire to make this short tour a reality.”

Meanwhile, Chief Executive of England Cricket Board Tom Harrison said that it is “a real pleasure” to announce the tour.

“This will be the first time since 2005 that an England team has toured Pakistan and, as such, it represents a significant moment for both nations,” said Harrison.

We are heading to Pakistan! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇵🇰🏏

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) November 18, 2020

England last toured Pakistan in 2005 when they played three Tests and five One-Day Internationals. The subsequent series between the two sides in 2012 and 2015 were played in the United Arab Emirates.

PCB announces Super League fixtures against England

Meanwhile, the Pakistan cricket team will be touring England and Wales in July 2021. The tour will comprise three ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs and as many T20Is.

As per the press release, the ODIs will be played in Cardiff, London (Lord’s) and Birmingham on July 8, 10 and 13 respectively while the T20Is will be held in Nottingham, Leeds and Manchester on July 16, 18 and 20 respectively.

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England leads the points table of the qualification league for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 with 30 points from two three-ODI series. Pakistan shares the second spot with Australia on 20 points following a 2-1 series win over Zimbabwe, while Zimbabwe and Ireland are on 10 points each.

The remaining eight sides in the 13-team competition are yet to play their opening fixtures in the Super League from which the seven top-ranked sides and World Cup hosts India will progress directly for the event proper to take place in October/November 2023.

The ODI series against England will be one of Pakistan’s three away fixtures in 2021 with the other two being against South Africa (April 2021) and Afghanistan (September 2021). In addition to these away series, Pakistan will play two home Super League fixtures against New Zealand and the West Indies in October and December 2021, respectively.

Pakistan is presently sixth in ODIs behind England, India, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, while Babar Azam’s side is ranked fourth behind Australia, England and India in T20Is. Pakistan sits seventh in Tests.