Dubai Cricket Stadium (archive photo)
The second unofficial one-day match between Pakistan Shaheenz and England Lions in Abu Dhabi, which was scheduled to be played on Sunday, has been called off after growing security concerns in the region.“The safety and security of our teams and employees is our top priority,” the ECB said in a statement.“Tomorrow’s second 50-over match between the England Men’s Lions and Pakistan Shaheens in Abu Dhabi will no longer go ahead and we are postponing the departure of the England Women’s team for their proposed trip to Abu Dhabi next week.”The Pakistan Cricket Board also confirmed that the match scheduled for today has been canceled and that the players and team officials have been asked to remain inside their hotel as a precaution.The move came after advice from the England and Wales Cricket Board amid the situation in Abu Dhabi.
“There will also be no training session and the team has been advised to remain indoors,” the team’s board said in a statement, adding that the safety and security of players and support staff remains the top priority.The PCB remains in contact with the ECB and monitors developments.The decision on the remaining matches will be made after the reopening of the airspace in the Middle East. The board will decide whether Shaheen’s squad should return to Pakistan or continue with the series, depending on the security situation.
This disruption comes after coordinated military strikes launched by the United States and Israel on Iran on February 28. Tehran responded by firing missiles across parts of the Gulf, prompting several countries to close or restrict their airspace.The United States and Israel launched the attack on Saturday, with US President Donald Trump urging the Iranian people to dismiss their leadership.The strikes closed airspace in parts of the Gulf and affected international airlines, including Emirates and Air India.Air India said it has canceled all flights to and from major Gulf cities – Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Muscat, Riyadh and Tel Aviv – until further notice.Dubai International Airport suspended operations indefinitely due to airspace restrictions imposed after the missile strikes.