‘Very insubstantial’: Gower on England’s decision to call off Pakistan tour

Former England cricketer David Gower has questioned the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)’s decision to call off Pakistan tour.

While speaking on Sky News, Gower said that England’s decision to back out of Pakistan tour did not make any sense.

“I really can’t see the logic because it was going to be four or five days for the men in Pakistan, so hardly onerous, hardly a big bubble. I know they have got lots coming up this winter, I know there is a World T20 coming up and it was sighted that it wasn’t perfect preparation to that. Well, it’s all very insubstantial,” said Gower.

He also cited Pakistan’s recent tour of England, where the home side assembled a new squad in a couple of days’ time after a Covid-19 outbreak.

“I think the broader issues, the broader morals should have trumped all that. We could have found a team to go if we had asked around as we proved in the summer when Covid struck. Pakistan came to Covid-ridden England and risked all that. We put out a brand new squad in two days’ time, which actually happened to beat Pakistan. It was great cricket, it was fascinating to watch,” he said.

“We could have found 14 guys to go very, very easily, I’m sure,” he concluded.   

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The ECB cited “increasing concerns about travelling to the region” just days after New Zealand also pulled out of a tour to Pakistan over security concerns.

However, the ECB statement highlighted player welfare as the key consideration with many feeling the strain of operating in bubbles to prevent the spread of coronavirus cases over the past two years.