CAPTAIN Heather Knight believes it will send a strong message if her England team are able to tour Pakistan next month.

The England women’s and men’s teams are both due to visit the country next month — the women have never previously toured there, while the men have not since 2005 due to long-standing security concerns.

But Knight is relishing the prospect of being the first woman to lead England into cricketing action in Pakistan.

“It’s obviously a big thing for us to go, and the men’s team to go as well,” she said. “There’s obviously a lot of things to consider inside of that and we’ll be advised on those things by people more in the know.

“I personally think it would be a good thing for us to go to Pakistan. It would be a huge thing as the first ever England women’s side to go and tour there.”

Conditions and details of the tour have not yet been confirmed.

“I think there’s a security update due very soon, so we’re just waiting on that and we’re just waiting to see,” Knight said.

“Things are obviously changing very quickly at the moment, but we’re still in conversation and we’re just waiting on a few things to try and work out what’s going to happen.”

Meanwhile, it was confirmed today that players from Afghanistan’s female youth football teams have arrived in Pakistan and will seek political asylum in third countries amid continuing concern over the status of female athletes under the new Taliban government in Kabul.

Some 81 people, including female players of several youth teams, their coaches and family members, reached Pakistan through the Torkham border crossing, with a further 34 set to arrive tomorrow, a senior Pakistan Football Federation official confirmed.