England Lions vs Pakistan Shaheens: The second unofficial ODI match between Pakistan Shaheen and England Lions to be held in Abu Dhabi has been cancelled. The match was scheduled to be played on 1 March 2026 at the Oval Stadium in Abu Dhabi, but could not be held due to rising tensions and security concerns in the Middle East. After the attacks on Iran by America and Israel, there were retaliatory missile attacks from Iran, which affected the entire Middle East including the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Match between England and Pakistan canceled
There have been reports of several explosions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, due to which air traffic has completely stopped. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) took this decision on the basis of security experts and government advice. ECB clearly said that the safety of the teams and staff is the first priority. Players and support staff of both teams have been ordered to stay in hotels, and no practice sessions have taken place. The situation is being continuously monitored and a decision on the team’s return or continuation of the series will be taken once the airspace in the Middle East reopens.
This was the second match of the five-match 50 over series. In the first match, England Lions defeated Pakistan Shaheen by 9 wickets. In which Shaheen, batting first, scored 152 runs and England easily achieved the target. At the same time, a 3-match T20 series was also played, in which England won 3-0. This tour of England was to end on 9 March. But now no decision has been taken on whether it will be canceled or rescheduled.
This series is also in danger
Due to this crisis, the training camp of the England women’s team in Abu Dhabi has also been postponed. Similarly, the Afghanistan-Sri Lanka T20I and ODI series to be held in UAE is also under threat, which is going to start from March 13. Where both the boards can give priority to security.