England men and women's tours to Pakistan, scheduled month, is under serious doubt following New Zealand Cricket's decision to abandon the series due to security issues. The ECB in a statement said, “We’re aware of New Zealand’s decision to pull out of the Pakistan tour. We are liaising with our security team on the ground in Pakistan to understand the situation. The ECB Board will decide in the next 24-48 hours whether our tour should proceed. "Both England men and women’s teams are are scheduled to tour Pakistan for T20 double headers on October 13 and 14 in Rawalpindi. Pakistani Interior Minister, Sheikh Rasheed, did not seem positive about the prospect of the tour going ahead either. Despite saying preparations were complete for England's visit, Rasheed appeared to suggest he thought the ECB would go the same way as NZC. That would not be a surprise. The ECB use the same security company as NZC and are therefore certain to be receiving the same information that prompted New Zealand's withdrawal from Pakistan.
ESI Risk is headed up by Reg Dickason, a vastly experienced security advisor, who the ECB and their players trust implicitly. They are highly unlikely to go against his advice. A statement read: "Following an escalation in the New Zealand Government threat levels for Pakistan, and advice from NZC security advisors on the ground, it has been decided the BLACKCAPS will not continue with the tour." NZC chief executive David White said: "I understand this will be a blow for the PCB, who have been wonderful hosts, but player safety is paramount and we believe this is the only responsible option." "Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan Government made foolproof security arrangements for all visiting teams," the PCB statement read. "We have assured the New Zealand Cricket of the same. The Pakistan Prime Minister spoke personally to the Prime Minister of New Zealand and informed her that we have one of the best intelligence systems in the world and that no security threat of any kind exists for the visiting team."
