Pakistan tour of Ireland called off due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Byline: Mohammad Yaqoob

LAHORE -- After the postponement of Pakistan's tour to The Netherlands earlier this month, the national team's tour to Ireland was also postponed on Thursday due to the crisis situation created by the coronavirus pandemic.

A press release issued by the PCB on Thursday said: 'Pakistan Cricket Board and Cricket Ireland today decided to postpone their two-T20I series in July after the Ireland Government announced behind closed-door matches can only be possible after 10 August. This date coincides with Pakistan's tour to England for three Tests and as many T20Is for which the side is scheduled to depart late July.'

The matches in Dublin were planned for July 12 and 14.

The Pakistan tour of Netherlands for three One-day International scheduled from July 4 was already after the Dutch government had suspended the sporting activities till Sept 1 due to the virus.

The fate of Pakistan's tour to England for three Tests and as many T20 matches series is also in doldrums because the UK remains one of the most severely affected countries in the world due to the pandemic. A meeting between the PCB and ECB officials is planned for Friday on a video link to discuss the hurdles in touring England and to find the solutions. A decision about the series, however, will be taken in mid-June.

PCB's Chief Executive Wasim Khan said: 'It is sad that due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, we have to postpone our tour to Ireland. We were looking forward to returning to the venue, where we featured against Ireland in their inaugural Test in 2018, and country where our players have always been supported and admired by the...