Islamabad:The England Cricket Board has announced that it is withdrawing both its men’s and women’s teams from their tour of Pakistan scheduled for next month.

“We can confirm that the Board has reluctantly decided to withdraw both teams from the October trip,” a tweet by the ECB said.

The decision comes three days after New Zealand abandoned their tour of Pakistan citing a “security threat”, minutes before the first ODI match was scheduled to start at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium — a move that shocked Pakistani fans and officials.

In a statement, the ECB said: “We understand that this decision will be a significant disappointment to the PCB, who have worked tirelessly to host the return of international cricket in their country.

“Their support of English and Welsh cricket over the last two summers has been a huge demonstration of friendship. We are sincerely sorry for the impact this will have on cricket in Pakistan and emphasise an ongoing commitment to our main touring plans there for 2022.”Agencies

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