Pakistan cricket chief urges England to tour before 2022
PCB chief executive Wasim Khan has urged England to send team before their scheduled return in 2022.
MANCHESTER (AFP) - Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief executive Wasim Khan has urged England to send a team to the country before their scheduled return in 2022 after Azhar Ali s side agreed to travel to Britain during the coronavirus pandemic.
England have not visited Pakistan since 2005/06. An attack by armed militants on Sri Lanka s team bus in Lahore in 2009 ended major cricket tours for a decade.
But Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, West Indies and Bangladesh have all made the trip.
"England are due to tour in 2022, and we d love to have them coming over well before then for a shorter tour," Khan told Sky Sports on Wednesday.
"It s something that we ll speak to the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) about," he added.
Pakistan are currently playing the first Test of a three-match series at Old Trafford, which follows an England-West Indies series last month.
Both teams, among the poorer Test nations, have been praised for travelling to Britain, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Khan told a recent PCB podcast he hoped England would do the "right thing by us as well" in going ahead with their 2022 tour.
- Getting there -
England coach Chris Silverwood, asked if the advent of the Twenty20 Pakistan Super League, which has featured several English players, had increased the prospects of an England tour, told reporters: "I think we are getting there.
"Personally, I would have no problem with that. I ve never been to Pakistan so it would be nice to go there."
The former England paceman jokingly added: "I know our batsmen would look forward to batting on their wickets."
"For me it s great that it s back at the top of the conversation."
Meanwhile Khan was pessimistic when asked about the prospects for a resumption of the great rivalry between Pakistan and India.
Political tensions mean the neighbouring countries now rarely meet outside of International Cricket Council events and they have not played a Test series against each other since 2007/08.
The chief executive told Sky: "It s a question I get asked more than any other question from fans from both sides: Can India and Pakistan play again?
"It s going to be difficult, I would say, whilst the current government is in place in India.
"We ve actually got a cordial relationship with the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) but they have to go to their government for permission to play against us.
"I can t see that happening any time soon."
