- England’s last trip to Pakistan was in 2022-23 and saw the visitors win 3-0
- The first Test in Rawalpindi was one of the biggest Test victories ever for the visitors
- England conclude the first day of the first Sri Lanka Test by bowling out the visitors for 236
According to reports, no British broadcaster has yet acquired the rights to air England’s Test tour of Pakistan later this year.
England travel to Pakistan for a three-match series, starting in Multan on October 7. However, fans from Pakistan are currently unable to watch due to a threat of a TV blackout.
According to the guardIn July, the Pakistan Cricket Board published a tender document, which has so far attracted little interest from British broadcasters, and no negotiations are underway.
This follows England’s last trip to Pakistan two years ago, a tour that produced one of the most breathtaking finals in the visitors’ long history.
Ben Stokes and co made history as the first England side to beat Pakistan under the white flag on tour, thanks to some ridiculously fast batting in true Bazball style and a truly thrilling highlight of the first Test match.
According to reports, no British broadcaster has yet acquired the rights to air England’s upcoming tour of Pakistan
England won the first Test in Rawalpindi in dramatic style to kick-start a brilliant series
A number of records were broken: four England batsmen hit a ton on the first day’s play, Zak Crawley broke the record for the fastest century by an England opening batsman and the tourists hit 506 on the first day – another record.
During that tour, England threw their first Test cap to Rehan Ahmed, then just 18. He scored seven in the match on his debut, including five in the second innings of the third Test.
The drama unfolded early in the tour when, after a nail-biting first innings with the bat, England ran away with the ball in a gloomy Rawalpindi and took the final wicket with a draw fast approaching as darkness fell.
It was the first victory for the tourists in 23 years in Pakistan at the time. The victory came after Stokes had promised a 343-run chase in the second innings, and the gamble paid off.
Jack Leach took the final wicket just before the end of the match on the fifth day for the first wicket of the innings off a spinner, trapping Naseem Shah lbw as the home side desperately tried to dig in.
England had bowled masterfully on a flat pitch that lent itself well to batting as they chased runs, with Jimmy Anderson in particular finishing with four wickets from 24 overs at an economy of just 1.50.
It was an exciting series that aired on Sky, but the fact that it generated so much drama may lead fans to wonder why there was no fight for the rights to air the series in the UK.
Sky has exclusive rights to all domestic tests but has indicated it will not bid for the tour. TNT has not yet entered into negotiations and has reportedly ruled out doing so.
Ben Stokes’ team became the first England team to whitewash Pakistan in 2022-23
Sky has scaled back its away coverage in recent years, focusing on home games and major tournaments.
It is believed that this is because analysing the costs of high-production value tours cannot be justified given the declining demand for annual season tickets, especially with the football season – the main crowd puller – still in full swing.
TNT Sports has been covering away matches of late, including the last Ashes series and trips to India, New Zealand and the West Indies. However, there have been recent budget cuts and coverage of the European Champions Cup in rugby has already been scaled back.