‘What happened with Imran Khan…’ – Ben Stokes shares his thoughts on Pakistan’s security ahead of Test series
England Cricket team arrived in Pakistan on Sunday to play three Tests in the country for the first time since 2005. The three lions recently toured Pakistan for a seven-match T20I series before the 20-20 World Cup but haven’t played a Test Match in the country since 2005 due to security concerns. They were due to visit Pakistan last year but pulled out after New Zealand abandoned their tour minutes before the first one-day international, citing security alerts.
There were reports that England might pull out from the tour this time as well after an attack on the former prime minister Imran Khan during a protest march in Wazirabad, a city in Punjab province.
But England’s Test skipper Ben Stokes quashed all fears following a positive security advice.
“It’s been a long time since England have played Test cricket in Pakistan. With what happened with Imran Khan recently, there was a little bit of concern, but we have Reg Dickason, who has been the security man for many years with England, and we left it in his capable hands,” Stokes said in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
“In terms of the tour itself, I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve never been there, and I’m quite interested to see what the security lark is like. I’ve heard it’s pretty intense,” Stokes added.
The entire squad and support staff were whisked to the team hotel under heavy security which Pakistan has been putting in place since the revival of international cricket in the country in 2015.
Touchdown in Pakistan for our Men’s Test squad! 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/2GbRr1Xcw1
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) November 26, 2022
Pakistan vs England Test series to begin on 1st December
Pakistan were forced to play their home matches on the neutral venues of the United Arab Emirates following a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009. However, the country has recovered from the horrors of 2009 and has hosted multiple teams in the last seven years, the most notable being Australia earlier this year.
The two teams will be playing a three-match Test series that starts in Rawalpindi from December 1 while the second Test in Multan (December 9-13) and the third will be in Karachi (December 17-21).
The series will be a part of the World Test Championship 2021-23. Pakistan are currently fifth in the nine-team championship with 51.85 points percentage while England are on seventh with 38.6 points percentage.
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