England to tour Pakistan for the first time ever in October 2021

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England to tour Pakistan for the first time ever in October 2021

Pakistan's Bismah Maroof (l) and England's Heather Knight. © PCB

England are set to tour Pakistan for the first time in October 2021 for two T20Is and three ODIs, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Thursday (January 7). The tour will be alongside the men’s series, with the T20Is being planned as double-headers.



“The England Women’s cricket team has never toured Pakistan before so this is another important step in our history and journey,” said Clare Connor, ECB’s Managing Director of Women’s Cricket.



“Not only will this be a cricket tour that provides valuable competitive opportunity to both teams, it should also serve as another powerful and positive message as we drive forward our equality ambitions for more women and girls to derive empowerment through the sport. I was in Pakistan last year and I know the impact that a women’s tour such as this can have and how memorable an experience it will be for our players and staff.”



While the T20Is are on back-to-back days on October 14 and 15, the ODIs are slated to be played on October 18, 20 and 22. All the matches will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi.



“World champions England accompanying their men’s side for their first-ever tour to Karachi is an extremely powerful and strong announcement for Pakistan, our women’s cricketers as well as for the global sport,” said Wasim Khan, CEO of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).



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“Women’s T20Is taking place before the men’s matches at the iconic National Stadium will mean more eyeballs will follow these matches than ever before. While this presents a great opportunity for the PCB to showcase the image and profile of women’s cricket, it is a chance for the women cricketers to demonstrate their talent and skills, and play their part in attracting, inspiring and motivating the next generation of women cricketers so that they can also fall in love with this great sport.”



“The three ODIs against the world champions will assist the Pakistan women’s side to access, gauge and fine-tune their ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 preparations as they aim to produce improved performances than in the past,” he concluded.



The last time the two sides met for a bilateral series was back in December 2019, when the Heather Knight-led England played the Bismah Maroof-captained Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for three T20Is and ODIs each. England had managed to clean sweep the T20Is and win the ODIs 2-0 with the final game being washed out.



England's immediate assignment is a tri-series involving Australia and New Zealand next month, the dates of which are expected to be announced soon.



 



Schedule:



October 14 – 1st T20I



October 15 – 2nd T20I



October 18 – 1st ODI



October 20 – 2nd ODI



October 22 – 3rd ODI



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