The England cricket team will be touring Pakistan in 2022 to play two additional men’s T20 Internationals with the total of 5 T20s & 3 Test Matched in September/October, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chief Executive Tom Harrison announced on Tuesday.
According to a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the announcement was made after the England cricket chief met with his Pakistani counterpart, Ramiz Raja, in Lahore. The ECB had originally planned to play five T20Is during next year’s tour of Pakistan.
The England team is touring Pakistan in November-December after the Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia to play three Test matches, which will form a part of the ICC World Test Championship, the statement 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 cancellation of our tour in October,” Harrison was quoted as saying by the PCB.
“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,” he said.
“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,” the ECB chief executive added.
Commenting on the development, Raja said the ECB had shown “large-heartedness” for which he was thankful. “It means a lot to us.”
The PCB chairman said that Pakistan was “excited” that England had committed to playing two additional T20Is. “We put in a lot of effort to make sure that all visiting teams are comfortable in Pakistan. As such, it is a matter of pride for Pakistan fans, who look forward to welcoming Australia and England in 2022,” he said,
“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.
