Ehsan Mani: “It won’t be the UAE. Either England come to Pakistan, or they don’t tour at all”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani has made it clear that if England decide to tour the country in 2022, no part of the series will be held in the UAE.

Mani noted that “either England come to Pakistan, or they don’t tour at all”.

It remains to be seen whether England will travel to the country in two years’ time, especially as Pakistan has helped save their ongoing home summer by agreeing to play three Tests and three T20 Internationals in the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“We’ve not linked anything with this tour,” Mani told Sportsmail. “But cricket needs to get together. I’ve been in discussions with England since I became chairman. We’ve had ECB chief executive Tom Harrison out here. He enjoyed his time and we wanted to make him feel comfortable.

“I’m confident the levels of security will be good. My wife, Frances, drives herself around Islamabad, and I don’t feel the need for any security or guards. No place in the world is risk-free, but all things being equal, I don’t see why England can’t visit Pakistan.

“It won’t be the UAE. Either England come to Pakistan, or they don’t tour at all.”

Mani admitted that if England were to come to Pakistan, it “would be out of this world” as many of the “England players are well followed in Pakistan”.

“One of the issues is the perception of the country,” Mani said. “I would encourage people to visit us. People are pleasantly surprised by what they see. When Dave Richardson was chief executive of the ICC, he was out for dinner at midnight, and was amazed that the restaurants were all full. It’s relaxed.

‘If a team like England came, it would be out of this world. I had teenagers come up to me in tears and say they’ve never seen Test cricket in Pakistan. The England players are well followed in Pakistan, but only ever on TV. To see them in real life would be a fantastic experience for people, and much better than empty stadiums in Dubai or Sharjah.”

In their upcoming series, Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and three T20 Internationals against England, with the first Test starting in Manchester on Wednesday and the T20 series beginning on August 28 at the same venue.

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