LONDON: Keeping in view Christchurch mosques attacks, the English Cricket Board (ECB) has prepared a fresh security plan for the visiting Pakistan team on request of the PCB.
As per details, the tour managing committee is required to inform the ECB security whether the players are going to offer prayers in mosque, specially the Friday prayers.
Bangladeshi cricket team was in New Zealand in February, when a white supremacist Brenton Tarrant opened indiscriminate fire upon the faithfuls in two Christchurch mosques. The players were just minutes away when the massacre took place on March 15. Over 50 Muslims embraced martyrdom in the tragedy that shook the world.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) will also devise a security plan for the players, a report published in Daily Jang said.
Pakistani players will offer Friday prayers in a security cordon tomorrow, the report further said.
On Tuesday, when the team arrived at the Heathrow Airport, the officials and players were given special protocol and all of the formalities were completed within half an hour, while they were waiting in a room.
London's Heathrow Airport is one of the busiest airports and every foreign team landing here is required to go through all the procedures along with the passengers.
Sources told Jang that PCB MD Wasim Khan and Director International Cricket, Zakir Khan wrote to the ECB and requested to for a new security plan specially for the Pakistani players. They were of the view that Bangladeshi team narrowly missed the incident and that comprehensive arrangements should be in place for the tour.
Pakistani team is in England on a 83-day tour during which it will play a T20 and 5 ODI matches before participating in the World Cup.
The following is the Pakistan cricket team’s schedule of England:
April 23 – Departure for England
April 27 – v Kent (50-over practice match)
April 29 – v Northamptonshire (50-over match)
May 01 – v Leicestershire (T20 match - d/n)
May 05 – v England (only T20I), Cardiff
May 08 – 1st ODI v England, The Oval
May 11 – 2nd ODI v England, Hampshire
May 14 – 3rd ODI v England, Bristol
May 17 – 4th ODI v England, Trent Bridge
May 19 – 5th ODI v England, Leeds
ICC Cricket World Cup 2019:
May 24 – v Afghanistan (warm-up), Bristol
May 26 – v Bangladesh (warm-up), Cardiff
May 31 – v West Indies, Trent Bridge
June 03 – v England, Trent Bridge
June 07 – v Sri Lanka, Bristol
June 12 – v Australia, Taunton
June 16 – v India, Old Trafford
June 23 – v South Africa, Lord’s
June 26 – v New Zealand, Edgbaston
June 29 – v Afghanistan, Headingley
July 05 – v Bangladesh, Lord’s (d/n)
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