KARACHI: England batsman James Vince said it was “disappointing” that the proposed two-T20I tour to Pakistan in 2021 did not go forward.

In an interview, the 30-year-old cricketer expressed his faith in Pakistani arrangements, saying that his experiences touring Pakistan have always been pleasant.

“As players, we don’t have any say in those decisions, that’s the people above us. The people in charge and security make those decisions. We only get told the decision without any answers. It was disappointing that it didn’t go ahead,” he said when asked about the decision by ECB to call-off Pakistan’s tour.

Only three months after the tour was cancelled, 24 English cricketers decided to travel to Pakistan to compete in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) seventh edition 2022, and Vince was one of the players that landed in Pakistan following the West Indies series.

“There’s quite a number of English guys that come to play in the PSL. Once they get back home, they share their positive experiences. I’m sure all the other guys that come here and experience the cricket and the crowds share positive experiences as well. It really is positive in my point of view,” he said.

“I’ve seen the quality of the security here and I’ve never felt any risk while being here. I can only speak from personal experience that I’ve never had any issues. They obviously go out of their way to make sure that there’s tough security and that everything is in place.” He added

James Vince, who has played 13 Tests, 19 ODIs, and 17 T20Is for England, hoped to be included in the squad when it travels to Pakistan for seven T20Is before of the T20 World Cup this year.

“I’d love the opportunity to come back here and play with England against Pakistan. Hopefully, COVID would calm down by then and we can have proper spectators in the ground,” he said.

Reminiscing about his time with the Multan Sultans, Vince said: “We experienced full houses, the atmosphere was incredible at that time. England being back here and hopefully playing in front of full houses would provide quite a special atmosphere and hopefully something I can be involved in.”

Vince is a member of the PSL’s Quetta Gladiators team. He appeared in two matches in Karachi, including an undefeated 49 against Lahore Qalandars in the final match of the PSL 7 first phase.

He expressed his joy at the prospect of a full house for the PSL 2nd phase matches in Lahore.

“Even with small capacity here in Pakistan, they can be very loud. The more people, the better the atmosphere. This adds a little bit extra [excitement] to the game, it makes it more entertaining and more fun to play in,” He expressed his hope that his team would maintain the momentum gained in its last match in the PSL’s Karachi leg.

The England player praised the PSL bowling standards, saying that despite the shorter boundaries, the bowling in the league makes the competition fair for all.

“The boundary size is quite small. So, the batters have gotten an advantage from that point of view but we know Pakistan is blessed with a lot of very good bowling options, particularly young quick bowlers. The standard of bowling is very high and it makes it more even,” he said.

“From the skills point of view, there’s a lot of very good players involved in Pakistan cricket at the minute and I think that’s probably reflected on the performances in the T20 World Cup back in October. The competition in the PSL as a whole is very good competition,” he added.

When asked how he feels about living in a bio-secure bubble because to the COVID pandemic, the cricketer admitted that it is difficult.

“Sometimes as cricketers, we can be perceived to live the best life. And we do most of the time, we get to go and play cricket for a living, experience different countries and cultures. However, since COVID, it’s made it a lot tougher to do.

“Having no escape from your room and not being able to mix with other people and get away from cricket when you’re doing it constantly, you feel very restricted. Being told that you can do something or go somewhere, it does start to weigh you down,” he highlighted.

“I’ve got a bit of a break after this tournament. As it makes it much harder for families to be able to travel with you during COVID because they can’t get visas or you’re only allowed in the country if you’re working. You also spend a lot less time with your family. So, if you’re doing it non-stop, it gets very tough,” he concluded.

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