The England cricket team touched down in Karachi on Thursday morning for their first tour of Pakistan in 17 years.
England last played in Pakistan in 2005 and were due to visit last year until pulling out at short notice after New Zealand also cancelled a tour citing safety concerns.
Both moves infuriated the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), desperate to rehabilitate its security reputation. It claimed New Zealand refused to share details of the security threat, while England were unwilling to play “in restricted Covid environments” when Pakistan had taken a huge risk by travelling to England for a tour in 2020 during the peak of the pandemic and when vaccines were not available.
Following a deadly 2009 attack by Islamist militants on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, Pakistan were forced to play international matches at neutral venues such as the UAE, where they hosted England for series in 2012 and 2015.
Over the past five years, international cricket has gradually returned to Pakistan and earlier this year Australia toured successfully for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century.
The PCB said that the Australia series had "demonstrated our event planning and operational skills" and expressed confidence that the England games will also pass off safely.
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Pakistan's Babar Azam celebrates his a half century on his way to a score of 114 off 83 balls during the second One Day International between Pakistan and Australia at the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, on March 31, 2022. EPA -
Pakistan's Babar Azam drives during the second ODI between Pakistan and Australia. AP -
Pakistan's Babar Azam bats during the second ODI. AP -
Pakistan's Mohammad Wasim celebrates with teammate Iftikhar Ahmed and captain Babar Azam after taking the wicket of Australia's Ben McDermott. AFP -
Australia's Ben McDermott plays a shot on his way to 108 off 104 balls. EPA -
Australia's Ben McDermott celebrates his century. EPA -
Australia's Ben McDermott celebrates his century with teammate Marnus Labuschagne. AP -
Pakistan's Haris Rauf celebrates after taking the catch to dismiss Australia's Ben McDermott. AFP -
Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq celebrates his century. EPA -
Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq, right, celebrates with teammate Babar Azam after scoring a century. AFP -
Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq is bowled by Adam Zampa. AP -
Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq plays. AFP -
Australia's players celebrate after the dismissal of Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq. AFP -
Australia's Nathan Ellis celebrates after taking the wicket of Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq. -
Australia's Travis Head plays a shot on his way to a score of 89 off 70 balls. AFP -
Pakistani players celebrate after taking the wicket of Australia's Travis Head. EPA -
Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrates after taking the wicket of Australia's Aaron Finch. EPA
On match days, roads between the England team hotel and Karachi's National stadium will be sealed off and under armed guard.
A helicopter will monitor their journey and shops and offices overlooking the stadium will be ordered to shut.
The last time England toured Pakistan, the government was waging a desperate battle with Islamist militants, including its own domestic chapter of the Taliban.
The security situation has vastly improved since then, but there has been an uptick in attacks since the Taliban stormed back to power in neighbouring Afghanistan.
In March an Islamic State suicide bomber attacked a minority Shiite mosque in the north-western city of Peshawar, killing 64 in the deadliest terror attack since 2018.
Most violence is confined to the porous border regions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which has long been a hive of militancy.
However, Karachi and Lahore have recently been targeted by Baloch separatist militant attacks. In April four people were killed in Karachi.
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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, second left, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, second right, meet children at a camp for people displaced by floods, in Usta Mohammad city, Balochistan province, on Saturday, September 10, 2022. AFP -
Mr Guterres sits in a helicopter during his visit to flood-affected areas in Pakistan's Sindh province. AFP -
A camp set up the UN refugee agency, in Sukkur, Pakistan, to house people displaced by the deadly floods. AP -
Flood victims drink tea at the UNHCR camp in Sukkur. AP -
People displaced by the floods carry grass for their cattle in Sehwan, Sindh province. AP -
The UN chief has appealed to the world to assist cash-strapped Pakistan after the monsoon flooding killed more than 1,300 people and displaced millions more. AP -
A home damaged by floodwaters in Sehwan, Sindh province. AP -
Displaced people receive aid from the Pakistani army in Sehwan. AP -
This aerial photograph shows a flooded area on the outskirts of Sukkur, Sindh province. AFP -
Displaced people wait by a damaged road next to floodwaters in Kalam Valley, in northern Pakistan. AP
The tour comes as Pakistan grapples with catastrophic flooding that has left nearly a third of the country under water and affected at least 33 million people.
Last month the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said the team were "desperate" to play in Pakistan despite the humanitarian disaster.
The 19-man England squad, captained by Jos Buttler, will play seven Twenty20 games against Pakistan in Karachi and Lahore from September 20 to October 2 as both teams tune-up for next month's T20 World Cup in Australia.
England will return in December to play three five-day Test matches.
Pakistan's own preparation for England's tour as well as the T20 World Cup were somewhat dampened by the team's 23-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2022 final in Dubai last week.
Sri Lanka beat Pakistan to win Asia Cup final
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Sri Lanka celebrate after beating Pakistan in the Asia Cup final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 11, 2022. All images by Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Sri Lanka celebrate after beating Pakistan by 23 runs in the Asia Cup final. -
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka, left and man of the match Bhanuka Rajapaksa. -
Sri Lanka celebrate after beating Pakistan in the Asia Cup final. -
Sri Lanka players celebrate after beating Pakistan. -
Sri Lanka bowler Chamika Karunaratne celebrates after taking the wicket of Pakistan's Haris Rauf to win the game in Dubai. -
Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva celebrates after taking the wicket of Pakistan batter Mohammad Rizwan. -
Pakistan opner Mohammad Rizwan scored 55. -
Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan bats with Iftikhar Ahmed. -
Pakistan's Iftikhar Ahmed during his knock of 32. -
Sri Lanka bowler Pramod Madushan celebrates taking the wicket of Pakistan captain Babar Azam for five. -
Pakistan's Shadab Khan lies injured after attempting a catch. -
Sri Lanka's Pramod Madushan celebrates after bowling Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman for a duck. -
Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva during his knock of 36. -
Pakistan's Naseem Shah after bowling Sri Lanka batter Kusal Mendis for a duck. -
Pakistan bowler Haris Rauf after taking the wicket of Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva. -
Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka was out for eight -
Sri Lanka's Bhanuka Rajapaksa after reaching 50. -
Sri Lanka batter Kusal Mendis is bowled Pakistan's Naseem Shah. -
Pakistan's Haris Rauf celebrates after taking the wicket of Sri Lanka batter Danushka Gunathilaka for one. -
Sri Lanka's Bhanuka Rajapaksa during his unbeaten knock of 71. -
Pakistan's Haris Rauf celebrates after taking the wicket of Sri Lanka batter Pathum Nissanka, who was caught by Babar Azam. -
Pakistan's Haris Rauf bowls Sri Lanka batter Danushka Gunathilaka. -
Sri Lanka's Dhananjaya de Silva scored 28. -
Pakistan's Shadab Khan bowls Sri Lanka batter Dasun Shanaka for two. -
Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva, left, and Bhanuka Rajapaksa. -
Sri Lanka fans before the game in Dubai. -
A Sri Lanka and Pakistan fan before the game. -
General view of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium during the game.
