'Nothing to do with security issues,' former England cricketer says on cancellation of Pakistan tour

• This is very disappointing […] it would have been a historic tour for England women, says former England cricketer Charlotte Edwards.
• Ebony Brent says "It screams of a team that has more power than the other side and have made a decision, not thinking about the impact."
• Former international cricketer Mark Butcher sarcastically recalled that the duke and duchess also visited Pakistan “it was fine for them”.

The key thing that is standing out in the statement has nothing to do with security issues or concerns, said renowned broadcaster Ebony Jewel Rainford Brent, terming the England Cricket Board’s (ECB) decision to cancel its Pakistan tour “disappointing”.

In a 5-minute-42-seconds long video shared on the official Twitter handle of Sky Sports Cricket, Brent said: "It [England] screams of a team that has more power than the other side and have made a decision, not thinking about the impact.”

“Disappointment is the word that comes to my mind after looking at the statement issued by the ECB for the cancellation of its tour,” she maintained.

Endorsing her views, former England cricketer Charlotte Edwards said: “This is very disappointing…it would have been a historic tour for England women, we haven’t been there before.”

“If that would have been [a] security [issue], I would have had no problem; we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation right now…but the fact that there's workload again, they [the ECB] exactly knew five months ago they had tours scheduled and they knew what their programme was,” she added.

Sharing her discontentment, Edwards said: “I am so disappointed for the PCB, they did a huge amount [of work] to get cricket into this country [England] last summer, I think we seem to have a short memory.”

Recalling the time when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Catherine Middleton visited Pakistan, former international cricketer Mark Butcher said: “It’s been 12 years since international cricket was back in Pakistan. I have travelled there and it is fabulous; you get presidential security.”

He sarcastically added that the duke and duchess also visited Pakistan and “it was fine for them”.

After cancelling the tour to Pakistan and expressing regret, 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.

The ECB, however, said the "mental and physical well-being" of its players and support staff remains their highest priority, and this was even more critical given the times "we are currently living in".

England's men and women teams were due to play two Twenty20s in Rawalpindi on October 13 and 14. The women's team were also due to play three ODIs in Pakistan on October 17, 19, and 21.

'Absolutely not' comes at a price

The phrase "absolutely not" comes at a price that nations have to pay if they aspire to keep their heads high, Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry had said earlier in the day, after the England and New Zealand cricket teams cancelled their Pakistan tours.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had, back in June, clearly said that Pakistan will "absolutely not" give its military bases to the United States for operations in Afghanistan after the latter's withdrawal of troops — months before the Taliban took over the country.

The information minister, addressing a press conference, said he and Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed would brief the media on what has been transpiring lately. "You will see how fake news and hybrid war are inter-linked."

"PTV alone has suffered losses worth Rs220 million and we are now seeking our lawyers' guidance on how to drag [New Zealand] to court," he said.