The England players involved in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) are exploring the option of returning home after India carried out military strikes to destroy terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan in retaliation to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
A report in 'The Telegraph' said English players are "split on whether to remain in Pakistan and play cricket," after the Indian Armed Forces' attack in the early hours of Wednesday.
The report said, "The England and Wales Cricket Board and Professional Cricketers Association held an emergency call on Wednesday morning to discuss the situation. At this stage players are not being advised to come home.
"While most players are currently intending to remain in Pakistan, Telegraph Sport understands several are exploring their options and could return home."
Seven English players – James Vince, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Luke Wood and Tom Kohler-Cadmore – are playing in this year's PSL, which is due to finish on May 18 in Lahore.
England coaches Ravi Bopara and Alexandra Hartley are also involved in this edition of the PSL.
Rattled by the multiple Indian military strikes, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has called an emergency meeting to discuss whether the PSL should be halted.
The T20 league, which features six franchises and is in its final stages, is currently being staged in Rawalpindi.
The English contingent is fearing escalation in the conflict but as things stand, they have resorted to a wait and watch policy.
The daily said several England players it spoke to "are satisfied with the security arrangements and advice and see no need to leave the competition," though there are "mixed thoughts and feelings across the (English) Whatsapp group," according to an insider, it claimed.
"It's fine for now – we are safe," the newspaper quoted said one England international cricketer as saying.
"The official advice to players from the PSL is that it is safe to continue playing. The bulk of overseas players are expected to stay in the country," the report said.
The Indian armed forces launched precision missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including the strongholds of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke.
The strikes were in response to the attack in Pahalgam in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were gunned down.
