Sat 25 September 2021:
Usman Khawaja, an Australian batsman, has blasted New Zealand and England for canceling their tours to Pakistan, saying they would not have taken the same decision if they were scheduled to play lucrative series in India.
New Zealand has returned home from Pakistan after canceling the tour minutes before the first match in Rawalpindi, citing a government security alert.
England followed suit this week, postponing their men’s and women’s teams’ tours of Pakistan next month due to the players’ “mental and physical well-being.”
“I feel it’s very easy for players and organizations to say no to Pakistan, because it’s Pakistan,” Khawaja said in Brisbane on Thursday.
“I think the same thing would apply too if it were Bangladesh.
“But nobody would say no to India, if they’re in the same situation. Money talks, we all know that, and that’s probably a big part of it,” added Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan.
Australia are also scheduled to travel to Pakistan early next year and governing body Cricket Australia has said it would “talk with the relevant authorities once more information becomes known”.
Pakistan was shunned by other cricketing nations for almost a decade after the deadly 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore but has been wooing back top international teams in recent years.
Khawaja said he would have no issues touring there.
“There’s a lot of security. Heavy, heavy security,” he said. “I’ve heard nothing but reports about people feeling safe.
“Even talking to the guys during the PSL (Pakistan Super League) about what it’s like … they would say the same thing to me ‘like 10 years ago, maybe not, but now 100%’.”
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