England's T20I tour of Pakistan to be postponed: Details here
England's tour of Pakistan for a short T20I series in early 2021 is set to be postponed to October due to unavailability of top players and matters related to costs. According to reports, the tour, which was tentatively scheduled for January-February, is expected to be shifted to October before the ICC T20 World Cup in India. Here are further details.
Reason why the series is being postponed
According to PTI, a source highlighted the reason as to why the series is being postponed. "The problem arising is that early next year England will be engaged in series with Sri Lanka and India and some of their T20 specialist players are also signed up for the Big Bash in Australia," a source aware of the developments said.
Another issue is the costs involved
The source added that costs involved in England touring Pakistan is another problem. "As it is just a three-match series with Karachi the likely venue, the costs of flying the English team by a chartered flight after holding a training camp in Dubai does not make it cost effective for the England board," he added.
Key details about Pakistan's cricket schedule
Pakistan recently hosted Zimbabwe for a three-match T20I series and won the same 3-0. They are scheduled to tour New Zealand next in December. Babar Azam-led Pakistan will play three T20Is against NZ, before engaging in two Tests. Post that, Pakistan will host South Africa early next year for two Tests and three T20 Internationals.
Both boards agreed to shift the series
The report adds that both the boards had discussed the more viable option of shifting the series to October as that would allow the full England T20I team to be available in Pakistan for the short series before flying to India.
