England Test captain Joe Root has expressed interest in touring Pakistan after a decade's hiatus, saying Pakistan is “a wonderful country to go” and he “would love” to play cricket series there.
Root’s remark came after former Pakistan captain and legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram said that England must tour Pakistan to reciprocate the ongoing visit of Men in Green for the bilateral series amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
England has not played in Pakistan since 2005-06 following a terror attack on Sri Lanka's team bus in Lahore in 2009, leaving the country with an option to play the majority of their home matches in the United Arab Emirates, as no top team was willing to visit the country, but Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, the West Indies, and Bangladesh have all made the trip to Pakistan in recent times.
However, Pakistan is hoping to host England in 2022 after doing a favor to England with the ongoing tour, and Root said it would be a great opportunity to play there, but he is unsure when space could be found in a crowded schedule for the planned tour in 2022.
Root told an online media conference: “I'd love to go and visit Pakistan. It'd be a great opportunity to go and play there personally. Unfortunately, it's not my decision to make but Pakistan is a wonderful country to go and play cricket. The wickets look nice and flat as well, which would be a nice change to what we've just played on here.”
He also mentioned the Test cricket’s return to Pakistan last December, adding: “You could see the emotion back in Pakistan when Test cricket was there, last year. I'm also speaking to a few of the players, how much it meant to them as well.”
Root signed off, “They really appreciated being able to playback in Pakistan too. But, again, with such a busy schedule already backlogging due to COVID, it is interesting to see how that would work.”
(With AFP Inputs)
