Pakistan agree to points system for England tour

Move gathers mixed response from the English cricketers

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has agreed to a proposal forwarded by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to apply a points system for their tour of England scheduled in July.

"We have received an agreement in principle from the boards of both Sri Lanka and Pakistan and will release further details of the proposal in due course,” an ECB spokesman told ESPNcricinfo.



Pakistan will be playing four Tests, five ODIs and one T20I against the Englishmen from July to September in a two-month tour. According to the points system, four points will be awarded for winning a Test match while two points will be up for grabs for each victory in ODIs and T20Is.

With a total of 28 points to be played for and Tests preceding the rest of the series, a 4-0 win for any team might seal the over-all series for one side with 16 points in their tally.

The move has gathered mixed response from the English cricketers especially those who might be a part of all three squads.



"Whatever it is, it's going to make it extremely competitive and it might bring all three formats together a little bit more," said Joe Root.

Meanwhile, Ben Stokes didn’t approve whole-heartedly of the idea mostly because the idea might eventually be rolled out to the men's Ashes. "I think it would be rubbish," said Stokes.

"They've changed a lot of things, but Ashes is Ashes, it's a massive series for England and Australia and I don't see why it should get changed. People who watch the game and follow the game, especially in the Ashes, would get a little bit like 'why are we doing this?' and I'd probably be in the same boat,” he added.