KARACHI: Experienced English batter – Alex Hales criticised the England Cricket Board (ECB) for cancelling their scheduled tour to Pakistan last year, said the cancellation made zero sense to him.
Hales, who last represented in 2019, and is currently playing for Islamabad United in the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), said Pakistan helped England in the challenging times during the pandemic but, the ECB did not give it back to the country.
“Pakistan came to England during COVID, helped out the ECB massively, so for them to cancel that tour made absolutely zero sense to me whatsoever,” he said.
Hales, who has toured the country numerous times, said ‘it’s a great place to come and play cricket’, also lauded the hospitality and the passion of the people.
“I have been here four or five times now and get looked after really well,” he said.
“Every time we come here, the people are very hospitable and the cricket is always really good. The fans here are crazy for it. So it’s a great place to come and play cricket,” he added.
It is worth mentioning that both England’s men’s and women’s sides were set to play two T20Is, with the latter staying on for three ODIs in September 2021.
The ECB cited protecting ‘the mental and physical well-being’ of its players and staff as well as “increasing concerns about travelling to the region” as reasons for opting out in a statement explaining the cancellation.
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