Pakistani players Amir and Sohail withdraw from England tour

Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir and Haris Sohail on Thursday withdrawn from the upcoming England tour citing personal reasons.

The announcement from the cricketers came after the confirmation from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that the team will travel to play a bilateral series in August and September.

Amir, Pakistan's most successful bowler at the 50-overs World Cup in England last year, has withdrawn so he can be at the birth of his second child in August, while middle-order batsman Haris will miss the tour for family reasons.

Pakistan will bring a 28-man squad plus 14 player support personnel for three tests and three Twenty20 Internationals.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has yet to announce the squad, while the series schedule will be announced in due course.

Plans to hold a bio-secure national training camp in Lahore ahead of the England trip have been scrapped after taking into account the rapid growth of COVID-19 cases in Pakistan.

England are scheduled to host the first international series since the novel coronavirus pandemic, when they face West Indies in a three-test series without fans in attendance starting on July 8 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.