Women team tour curtailed

LAHORE: Pakistan women team’s tour to Zimbabwe has been curtailed from a full series to just one match that has been played by the teams and now the ladies in green will fly back home on Friday (today).

Pakistan Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket have mutually agreed to end Pakistan women’s national cricket team’s ongoing tour because of the latest travel policies of the visiting side’s airline.

Pakistan won the opening 50-over match on February 9 and were due to play the second 50-over match on Friday and the final match of the tour on February 20.

However, following Emirates Airlines’ announcement of their flight operations suspension on the Harare-Dubai sector from February 13 to 28, both the boards decided to end the tour.

PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said: “It has been a difficult decision considering Zimbabwe Cricket had put in place excellent arrangements for the series. But the decision by the Emirates Airlines to suspend all flights to and from Harare from 13 February to 28 February has meant that we have to bring the squad back in the next 24 hours.

“We thank Zimbabwe Cricket for their understanding and support, and hope to return at some stage to complete this additional tour.”

Pakistan men’s national cricket team’s tour of Zimbabwe in April as part of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for two Tests and three T20Is remains intact, though the PCB will continue to monitor the flight and Covid-19 situation.