FROM THE MAG: Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South East, considers the enduring special relationship between England and Pakistan - both on and off the field
Yasmin Qureshi is the MP for Bolton South East. This is an abridged version of her article that features in our December magazine. To read the full version, grab a copy of the magazine by clicking here.
The Pakistani diaspora is among one of the largest in the UK. Totalling 1.7m and spanning every major city, the link between our two countries cannot be overstated.
While the political discourse often focuses on trade statistics, diplomatic events and development assistance, there is an additional non-political tie. Cricket.
If you visit any major English city, there will likely be a Pakistani league, as well as a swathe of overseas professionals and amateurs. Indeed, for many years my husband played cricket as the pro at Radcliffe CC in the Lancashire League.
Then of course there are Pakistan's best playing across the County Championship; this year Hassan Ali represented Lancashire, Azhar Ali Worcestershire, Mohammad Rizwan and Faheem Ashrad Sussex, Shaheen Shah Afridi Middlesex, Shan Masood Derbyshire, Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf Yorkshire, Mohammad Amir and Naseem Shah Gloucestershire, Mohammad Abbas Hampshire, Sajid Khan and Imam-ul- Haq Somerset, and Mohammad Hasnain Worcestershire.
A cricket fan holds a placard during the first Twenty20 international cricket match between Pakistan and England last September [RIZWAN TABASSUM/AFP via Getty Images]
Equally, the success of the Pakistan Super League has seen Saqib Mahmood, Liam Livingstone and James Vince all ply their trade in Pakistan.
In years to come, I hope to see the PSL on the same level as the Indian Premier League – a global, set-piece tournament attracting the brightest and the best to a huge stage.
However, this close sporting relationship goes further. The Pakistan Cricket Board provided an arm of support when English cricket was on the brink in the summer of 2020. Travelling halfway around the world, the PCB agreed to play a behind-closed-doors series in a taxing bubble environment to support the ECB and, frankly, prevent bankruptcy.
Mike Atherton rightly said this "saved the sport from financial catastrophe."
How were the PCB rewarded? England cancelled their return tour to Pakistan in 2021, an act which appeared to hold Pakistan in contempt.
No one from the ECB formally defended the decision – which felt unfair to say the least.
Ramiz Raja, chair of the PCB, correctly claimed that England were "failing a member of their cricket fraternity". To say I and others were furious at the handling of this would be a gross understatement.
Alongside the other co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pakistan, we met with the then chair of the ECB [then Ian Watmore] and later the CEO [Tom Harrison] with a wider range of parliamentarians.
In both meetings we pushed for answers and lobbied for a proper plan, exploring all avenues to repay the Pakistani generosity. We campaigned behind the scenes to ensure English cricket returns to Pakistan sooner rather than later – something the ECB claimed they cared about.
Getting the likes of Ben Stokes and Joe Root playing in Rawalpindi and Lahore was a non-negotiable for us. Meetings were had and promises were made. We were told that the ECB would do all they could to make amends.
A fallow period followed with one eye looking ahead to the T20 World Cup and another on the packed cricketing schedule. Factor in the uncertainties with the Coronavirus pandemic, and some of us feared the worst for English cricket's return to Pakistan.
Fast-forward to today, however, and the ECB delivered even more than we could have imagined when we first sat down with them in late 2021.
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium [Aamir Qureshi/Getty Images]
England played a seven-match T20I tour; and now the England Test team head to Rawalpindi, Multan and fi nally Karachi, for a three-match series. To see England's Test stars return to Pakistan's famous cricket grounds is a prospect which should appeal to all cricket fans.
But it goes much deeper than just marvelling at the world's best on the big stage. For so many in Pakistan and indeed in Britain, this moment represents cricket 'coming home', after what has been a long 17 long years since England last played there.
The terror attacks on the Sri Lankan national team in March 2009, which made cricket in Pakistan impossible, were tragic.
Taking the lives of nine people, and injuring another nine, of which six were Sri Lanka players, is horrific to look back on.
The prospect of England returning to Pakistan to play a 10-match tour seemed distant, if not impossible. I'm happy to say that so much has changed since then.
The success of the PSL and the vote of confi dence from the Foreign Offi ce and the ECB means that cricket is returning to Pakistan once again, and I for one cannot wait to see the twists and turns that this Test series has in store for fans in England, Pakistan, and beyond.
Inside our December 2022 issue of The Cricketer magazine, you'll also find:
- George Dobell previews England's return to Test action in Pakistan, headlined by our interview with Mark Wood
- Gary Lineker and David Gower discuss cricket and football
- Mike Selvey fears England's new approach will exclude great talents
- Dickie Bird and Geoff Boycott are reunited... in Barnsley
- John Etheridge recalls the magic of Waqar and Wasim in 1992
- Barney Ronay pays tribute to Virat Kohli's 'shot in a million'
- Tanya Aldred wonders how long England can resist Rehan Ahmed
- 'Whispering' Bob Harris tells us why he loves cricket
- Our Christmas Gift Guide solves your present-buying woes
- And much, much more...
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