By Canadian Press

England cricketers pull out of trip to Pakistan

Sep 20, 2021 | 10:02 AM

LONDON (AP) — England’s cricketers will not travel for matches in Pakistan next month because of security concerns.

The decision taken by the England and Wales Cricket Board on Monday came three days after New Zealand Cricket abandoned its men’s team’s limited-overs tour of Pakistan following a government alert that warned of a possible attack outside Rawalpindi Stadium.

“We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region,” the ECB said, “and believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted COVID environments.”

England men’s and women’s teams were scheduled to play Twenty20 matches in Rawalpindi next month.

England’s men have not played an international in Pakistan since 2005 while the women were to visit for the first time. They were due to play three ODIs as well as two T20s.

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Pakistan was a no-go zone for international cricket teams for a decade after terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009. The ambush killed seven people and injured several Sri Lankan cricketers.

International teams resumed touring Pakistan in 2019.

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The Associated Press