GEORGE DOBELL: While Wood praised the security on his recent visit to Pakistan as part of England's T20I squad, he did acknowledge he was "worried" by the incident
Mark Wood has admitted there is concern among England's cricketers about the security situation in Pakistan following the assassination attempt on Imran Khan.
Wood is among the England squad which is due to embark upon a Test tour of the country later this month. It is England's first Test tour of Pakistan since the end of 2005.
But the attempted murder of Imran, the former prime minister of Pakistan, on Thursday could throw the future of the tour into doubt.
One person was killed and at least 10 were injured when Imran's convoy was hit by gunfire while attending a protest in the city of Warzirabad in the north-east of the country, about 60 miles from Lahore. Imran, who was captain of the Pakistan team which won the 1992 World Cup, is understood to have sustained a non-life-threatening injury to the lower leg.
Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain and prime minister, was shot in the leg on Thursday (Arif Ali/AFP via Getty Images)
But some in his party, PTI, have claimed the attack was organised by the current government as they are concerned Imran will win a future election. As a result, they have called for nationwide protests after Friday prayers. Schools in some cities have shut.
While Wood praised the security on his recent visit to Pakistan as part of England's T20I squad, he did acknowledge he was "worried" by the incident.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried because you’re going back there when there’s been trouble," Wood said from Sydney on Friday.
"It's obviously not great, is it? First of all, he's an ex-cricketer so it’s close to home for us. You respect ex-players and everybody who's played the game. It's obviously hugely sad news to hear this news.
"The security we had [on the recent T20 tour] was fantastic. We were looked after really well.
It is 17 years since England's last Test series in Pakistan (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
"But obviously it's worrying when you're going back there as a cricketer and there's unrest in the country.
"We trust our security guys. They'll tell us what to do. If they say all is fine then we go, but I don't know if this changes it. It'll be for people above me to decide whatever happens."
The ECB attracted fierce criticism after pulling out of a short tour to Pakistan in October 2021. On that occasion, the Foreign Office and security consultants provided reassuring advice about the safety of the trip. An ECB spokesperson said it was too early to assess the implications of the incident, but suggested the situation would be reviewed.
A women's ODI between Pakistan and Ireland went ahead in Lahore on Friday as planned.
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