England bailing on us was anticipated after NZ, says Sheikh Rasheed

ISLAMABAD: Federal interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad has said Tuesday it was expected from England to bail on us after what New Zealand did, ARY News reported.

We saw it coming after the fiasco with the New Zealand government, said Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad while talking to ARY News earlier today.

“There’s no point living in a fool’s paradise.”

If they think they can be happy by hurting us, they can try all they want, the interior minister said. “We are a lively nation.”

They have blown the issue of cricket so out of proportion as if it were the greatest issue the world faced to date.

A new manner of politics has cropped up in our neighbourhood, he said referring to the regional development and added that the whole world watches as things evolve.

England withdraws from Pakistan tour after NZ snub

Rasheed’s comments come following yesterday development wherein the England Cricket Board (ECB) announced to cancel its scheduled tour of Pakistan for two T20Is in mid-October days after New Zealand had pulled its team out at the last minute due to “security” concerns.

England’s men and women were due to play T20I double-headers in Rawalpindi on October 13 and 14.

An England and Wales Cricket Board statement said: “Earlier this year, we agreed to play two additional T20 World Cup warm-up games in Pakistan in October, adding a short women’s tour with double headers alongside the men’s games.