England's decision to cancel Pakistan tour last year made absolutely zero sense: Alex Hales

Alex Hales was on a roll during Islamabad United’s Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 season opener against Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday where he scored a match-winning unbeaten 82 off 54 deliveries. He was also involved in a 112-run opening stand with Paul Stirling. Even though Hales had scored at a brisk rate for the United chasing down 169, it was Stirling who was adjudged the Player of the Match for his enterprising 25-ball 57.

As the English opener looks forward to having a promising season ahead, he has said that the England cricket team’s decision to cancel their limited-overs series tour of Pakistan made absolutely no sense at all since it was only a short tour comprising two T20Is on October 13 and 14. According to him, it was not right to call off the tour at the very last moment after the Men In Green had visited England in July last year for Tests and T20Is despite COVID-19 issues.

Pakistan came to England during Covid and helped out the ECB: Alex Hales

“That decision to cancel that tour made absolutely no sense. Especially after Pakistan came to England during Covid and helped out the ECB massively. So for them to cancel that tour made absolutely zero sense to me”, said Hales while speaking to Geo TV. “It was only a short tour, only a few T20s so it made no sense”, he added.

The reigning ODI World champions were scheduled to visit the neighboring country in October for two T20Is but, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), on September 20 canceled the serie,s with immediate effect citing physical and mental well-being of players in the country. The series which was scheduled as a preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 did not affect the performances of either sides adversely as they finished as the semifinalists in the showpiece event.

Even though the originally scheduled bilateral series could not go ahead as planned, the ECB as well as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) came to a mutual agreement of playing an all-format series in Pakistan.  Both teams will be playing seven T20Is in September -October this year and the series will resume in November-December for three Tests after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia