- England’s last trip to Pakistan was in 2022-23 and the visitors won 3-0.
- The first Test in Rawalpindi was one of the biggest Test victories by the visitors in history.
- England finish day one of Sri Lanka’s first Test after bowling out the visitors for 236
No UK broadcaster has yet reportedly acquired the rights to broadcast England’s Test tour of Pakistan later this year.
England travel to Pakistan for a three-match series starting in Multan on October 7, although no fans will be able to tune in from home at the moment due to a looming television blackout.
According The GuardianIn July, the Pakistan Cricket Board issued a tender document which has so far attracted little interest from UK broadcasters, with no negotiations underway.
This follows England’s last trip to Pakistan two years ago, a tour that produced one of the most impressive finals in the visitors’ long history.
Ben Stokes and Co made history as the first England team to defeat Pakistan on tour, thanks to some ridiculously fast batting in true Bazball style, as well as a truly thrilling climax to the first Test.
No UK broadcaster has reportedly yet acquired the rights to broadcast England’s upcoming tour of Pakistan
England won the first Test in Rawalpindi in dramatic fashion to set up a brilliant series
Several records were broken, with four English batsmen hitting tons on the first day of play, Zak Crawley breaking the record for the fastest century for an English opener and the tourists making 506 on the first day alone – another record.
On that tour, England handed Rehan Ahmed, then just 18, his first Test appearance, as he scored seven on debut, including five in the second innings of the third Test.
The drama came early in the tour, when after a blistering first innings with the bat, England thrilled with the ball in a gloomy Rawalpindi to take the final wicket with a draw fast approaching as the light faded.
It was the tourists’ first win in 23 years at that point in Pakistan, and came after Stokes dangled the carrot of a 343-run chase having declared in the second innings – and the gamble paid off.
Jack Leach took the final wicket moments from the end of play on the fifth day for the first wicket of the innings for a spinner, trapping Naseem Shah lbw with the hosts desperately trying to dig in.
England had bowled masterfully on a flat pitch that had lent itself well to batting throughout the match in pursuit of their objective, with Jimmy Anderson in particular finishing with four wickets in 24 overs at an economy of just 1.50.
It was a high-octane series that aired on Sky, but the fact that it generated so much drama may leave fans wondering why there hasn’t been a fight for the right to show the series in the UK.
Sky has exclusive rights to all domestic events but has indicated it will not bid for this tour, while TNT has not yet entered into the negotiation process and has reportedly ruled out doing so.
Ben Stokes’ side became the first England team to whitewash Pakistan in 2022-23
Sky has reduced its coverage of away series in recent years, making the decision to focus on local coverage and major tournaments.
This is thought to be because analysing the costs of covering tours with high production values is not justified given the decline in demand for annual tickets, especially when the football season, the main driver of audiences, is still in full swing.
TNT Sports has covered away tours of late, including the last Ashes series and trips to India, New Zealand and the West Indies, but has suffered cutbacks of late and has already pulled out of coverage of rugby’s European Champions Cup.
