• Captain Jos Buttler wants his squad to be battle-hardened from Pakistan tour that starts with first match in Karachi

England skipper Jos Buttler said yesterday he hopes his injury-hit Twenty20 side embrace the challenge of facing a strong Pakistan team on their first tour of the country in 17 years.
Security issues have meant Pakistan has struggled to attract visiting sides since an attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009, but tours have slowly resumed in the past few years – with England the latest.
This seven-match series is seen as a preparation for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup to be held in Australia, and Buttler hoped his young side build up well for the mega event.
“We look forward to the tough challenge and to be battle-hardened for the World Cup after this series,” said Buttler, who will miss the first few games to recover fully from a calf injury.
Two of England’s World Cup squad members – Liam Livingstone and Chris Jordan – are also missing this series as they recover from ankle and finger injuries respectively, while Test skipper Ben Stokes was given a rest.
Buttler said he hoped the injuries would give an opportunity to other players hungry to show their talent.
“Obviously the main aim for everyone is to turn up for Australia fully ready,” said Buttler of the event to be held from October 16 to November 13.
He said seven of his squad – David Willey, Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Harry Brook, Luke Wood and Ben Duckett – had featured in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) this year and would know local conditions.
“Plenty of our players featured in the PSL and shared the positive experiences of being here and about how much the public love the game,” said Buttler.
“We know Pakistan are a very great side. We look forward to challenge ourselves against them and I expect to see some great cricket.”
The England skipper also hoped his side would perform well to honour Queen Elizabeth II, who died last week.
“Obviously, with her majesty the queen passing, we were deeply saddened by that. We have seen the reactions over in England.
“We hope to honour her in our own way as a T20 team and play in a fashion to do that,” Buttler said.
The tour comes as Pakistan also 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.
“I think hopefully us going out there and playing will be a positive for what’s been a pretty harrowing time for the people of that country,” said Rob Key, managing director of men’s cricket.
Buttler yesterday announced a donation – understood to be a five-figure pound-sterling sum – from the players to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s appeal, which will be matched by the ECB to aid millions of people in need of urgent help following last month’s floods.
“It won’t be enough, but any small part we can play is important,” Buttler said.
“Sport has a great power to unite people. It has a great power to give a distraction at times of need; it has a great way of bringing people together to show respect.
“As human beings, we’re all just as conscious of what’s going on around the world as anyone else. Just because we play cricket, that doesn’t mean we don’t watch the news.
“We know the tough times that the people of Pakistan are facing at the moment. We hope that us being here can shed light on that, and people can see that people need help.
“Hopefully, some exciting games of cricket will be a small tonic to raise some spirits as well,” he added.
England will return in December to play three five-day Test matches.
“I am super-excited and look forward to watching England and buttler in Pakistan,” said Masum Rizvi, an electrician who never misses a match in Karachi.
The PCB said that the Australia series in March “demonstrated our event-planning and operational skills” and expressed confidence that the England games will also pass off safely.
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.
More than 300 additional security guards are on watch at the hotel and at least 5000 additional police officers on duty across the city.
“Visually, it seems a lot,” Buttler, who has travelled as captain despite a calf injury which will rule him out of at least the first half of the series, said. “It seems over the top, but of course it is there to make sure everything runs smoothly.
“That’s the initial challenge as players, just visually, it being very different. After a day or two you get used to that, focus on the cricket and look forward to playing.”
The first four matches will be in Karachi on September 20, 22, 23 and 25, and the next three in Lahore on September 28, 30 and October 2.