Very difficult to see the England tour of Pakistan going ahead now: Michael Atherton

Former England captain Michael Atherton doesn't see the English team visiting Pakistan for their scheduled white-ball matches after New Zealand abruptly abandoned their series against the Men in Green. The decision was taken minutes before the series was about to start on Friday.

New Zealand Cricket reasoned that they scrapped the series based on a security alert, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lashed out at their counterparts. The likes of Ramiz Raja, Babar Azam and Shoaib Akhtar expressed their frustration as the visitors were initially confident about all the security arrangements in place.

Writing in his column for The Times, Michael Atherton said the chances of England playing two T20Is in Pakistan looked bleak. Atherton said the ECB's statement of needing 24-48 hours to decide about the series doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. He wrote:

"The ECB announced yesterday they would make a decision on the future of the tours in the next 24-48 hours. That sounded grim: you would hardly give the green light so swiftly, so far in advance. It is very difficult to see the England tour going ahead now."

The 53-year old also recognized that players are most vulnerable at current times and prone to skip any series easily. Atherton thinks the English players are unlikely to compromise their safety for anything. He continued:

"Besides, players are not looking for much of an excuse to pull out of tours in the present climate, as India showed recently in England, and England are led by Eoin Morgan, who was quick to pull out of a trip to Bangladesh on security grounds in 2016. The ECB owes Pakistan, after their visit during the pandemic last summer but this will carry little weight if the safety of players cannot be guaranteed."

Not only does England's tour of Pakistan remain doubtful, but Australia's all-format series in Pakistan next year is also an uncertainty now. Australia are slated to visit Pakistan for the first time since 1998. However, Cricket Australia is now likely to wait for more developments.

The prospect of some England players pulling out must be real: Michael Atherton

England v Pakistan - 3rd Royal London Series One Day International

Michael Atherton opined that a handful of England players may skip the series. Atherton feels the visitors will have to field a depleted side as they did against Pakistan at home this summer if the series takes place. He wrote:

"The best hope is that England’s security advice at a government level differs from New Zealand’s. Even then, the prospect of some players pulling out must be real. Pakistan have already faced an England second/third XI this summer when COVID necessitated wholesale changes to England’s team for the one-day series. They could face something similar again, even if the tour is given the all-clear, which is hard to see happening given that New Zealand have shared their security concerns with England."

New Zealand's decision to withdraw has come as a massive dent to Pakistan's hopes of hosting teams successfully since international cricket returned to the nation.