Luke Wright joins Tymal Mills and Kevin Pietersen in withdrawing from Pakistan Super League final due to safety fears

England trio will not play in the final when Quetta Gladiators face either Karachi Kings or Islamabad United

Wednesday 01 March 2017 03:22 EST
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Luke Wright has withdrawn from the Pakistan Super League final through safety concerns
Luke Wright has withdrawn from the Pakistan Super League final through safety concerns (Getty)

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Former England all-rounder Luke Wright has announced he will not travel with Quetta Gladiators to Lahore for the Pakistan Super League final.

Quetta reached the last hurdle with a one-run victory over Peshawar Zalmi but Wright joined Kevin Pietersen and Tymal Mills in making himself unavailable, citing safety concerns.

Wright wrote on Twitter: "It's with a heavy heart I will not be coming to Lahore. I have a young family and for me a game of cricket is just not worth the risk.

"I'm sorry as I know how much it means to you all and hopefully in the future the safety will not be in doubt to come play there.

"Thanks once again to TeamQuetta and thePSLt20 for having me. Such lovely people. Great tournament with so much talent. See u soon."

Mills, who took seven wickets in five games for the Gladiators, added: "Unfortunately I will not be travelling to Lahore for the final but will be watching from home and cheering on the boys who I know will fight just as much as they have all tournament.

Tymal Mills is another who will not play in the final
Tymal Mills is another who will not play in the final (Getty)

"Massive thank you to everybody involved with the Quetta Gladiators and the PSL in general; I have had an awesome time and look forward to seeing everybody again soon!"

Pietersen said on the social media platform that he was heading back to London on Tuesday night.

Kevin Pietersen had already announced he would not travel to Lahore for the final
Kevin Pietersen had already announced he would not travel to Lahore for the final (Getty)

Dubai and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates have been the venues for every match up until the final.

The Pakistan national team have been playing almost entirely outside their homeland since a terrorist attack in Lahore on Sri Lanka's team bus in 2009. Zimbabwe are the only full member to tour Pakistan since the incident when they had a three-match one-day series in 2015.

PA

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