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Sports, Cricket

Abbas ‘hurt’ at ‘strange’ England decision


By AFP
Published : 24 Sep 2021 08:25 PM

Mohammad Abbas said Thursday that Pakistan felt "hurt" by the "strange" decision of English cricket chiefs to cancel tours for their men's and women's teams next month.

Paceman Abbas added it was a poor reward for Pakistan's decision to tour England last year at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in Britain.

"Obviously when you give 100 percent, you need to get back the same things," he said. "It hurts us."

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) cited "increasing concerns about travelling to the region" on Monday just days after New Zealand also pulled out of a tour to Pakistan over security concerns.

However, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Christian Turner, confirmed the decision was taken by the ECB on the grounds of player welfare.

Pakistan travelled to England last year at a time when Covid-19 infection rates in Britain were among the highest in the world for a three-match Test and T20 series that saved the ECB millions in television rights deals.