Karachi: Former England cricketer Michael Atherton has also come forward in support of Pakistan cricket after England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) withdrew from next month’s men and women teams’ tour of Pakistan.
Renowned analyst and commentator, in his column in UK’s The Times, has written the English players and the governing body has failed to repay debt, doing the wrong thing to Pakistan.
England have failed to repay debt they owe to Pakistan. Comment in @TimesSporthttps://t.co/GCdUvmqamA
— Mike atherton (@Athersmike) September 21, 2021
Atherton added that England were happy to play with Pakistan this summer with the second-string side when COVID-19 hit the English camp but what happened now when there were no security concerns where the same could have easily toured Pakistan and help them.
Atherton further added that citing player welfare as the main reason is not justifiable as they are plenty of other cricketers who must have toured if others were unavailable.
Read: NZ, England columnists slam their boards for dual-standards towards Pakistan
He took a dig that Pakistan was the same side that toured last summer at the height of the pandemic when death rates in England were the third highest in the world, more than 150 times the rate in Pakistan but now citing COVID is a problem of having short memory in the ECB.
He termed this decision as worse than England’s withdrawal from South Africa last winter and India’s cancellation of the Manchester Test this month.
He slammed that if they worry so much about players living in the bubble then why players are available for the Indian Premier League (IPL). Atherton concluded by saying that he know that England will not repay Pakistan for what they did last year to ECB.
It must be noted that first New Zealand abandoned their tour of Pakistan on Friday over a ‘hoax’ security threat received by its government and security agencies while England followed the same suit, citing concerns about traveling to the region and mental pressure due to bio-secure bubbles.
Also read: Renowned English commentator Michael Atherton in Lahore for PSL 5
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