Reports - British PM Boris Johnson furious with ECB over cancellation of Pakistan tour

If reports are to be believed, the England government wanted England Cricket Board (ECB) to go ahead with the Pakistan tour. The Three Lions were set to play two T20Is in Pakistan ahead of the T20 World Cup but the tour was called off after New Zealand cancelled their Pakistan series citing security issues. A report published in The Times said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was not happy with ECB’s decision saying it has dented the relations between two countries.

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“There were consultations between the ECB and officials from No 10, the Foreign Office and the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport before announcing the cancellation of the tour in which the governing body was urged to go ahead as planned,” The Times reported.

“The subsequent decision to ignore those pleas and cancel the tour on the grounds of the physical and mental wellbeing of the players has enraged ministers. They believe it has damaged the work being done to improve relations between the UK and Pakistan at a time when they are particularly important,” it added.

The report further hinted that ECB too was keen to go ahead with the tour but an intervention team from Team England Player Participation ( TEPP) - a unit that represents centrally contracted England players was not in favour of the tour going ahead which prompted the ECB to abandon the tour.

The PCB was not happy with ECB's decision and said they let the country down. Pakistan visited England during the pandemic in 2020 to save their summer. Meanwhile, the recent developments in Pakistan have tarnished the country's image as safe host as many teams are considering cancelling their upcoming tours of Pakistan. West Indies Cricket Board (CWI) are in touch with the PCB over their December tour while Australia, who are set to tour Pakistan next year, are also keeping a keen eye on the developments.