In a shocking development, the New Zealand cricket team backed out of its tour of Pakistan over security concerns minutes before the first match was scheduled to start at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
The New Zealand cricket team had arrived in Pakistan on September 11 for the first time in 18 years to play three ODIs and five Twenty20 Internationals.
The ODI series against New Zealand was supposed to be played at the Rawalpindi Stadium, with matches scheduled for Sept 17, 19, and 21, while the Gaddafi Stadium was slated to host five T20s from Sept 25 to Oct 3.
What were the reasons?
In a statement, the Pakistan Cricket Board said that New Zealand Cricket (NZC) informed the board they had been alerted to “some security alert” and unilaterally decided to postpone the series.
The New Zealand contingent in Pakistan is now preparing to leave the country. The PCB said Pakistan had “foolproof security arrangements for all visiting teams” and had “assured NZC of the same”.
The statement said that Prime Minister Imran Khan also personally spoke to Ardern and informed her that Pakistan had “one of the best intelligence systems in the world and that no security threat of any kind” existed for the visiting team.
“The security officials with the New Zealand team have been satisfied with security arrangements made by the government throughout their stay,” the statement said, adding that the PCB was willing to continue the matches. “Cricket lovers in Pakistan and around the world will be disappointed by this last minute withdrawal,” the PCB added.
‘International Conspiracy’
Addressing a press conference, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed asserted that the New Zealand tour was cancelled under an international ‘conspiracy’. However, he declined to name the country responsible for the conspiracy.
He said the New Zealand team’s security incharge spoke to government officials in the morning and informed them of a threat. When the officials asked for further details, the NZ security incharge “did not have any”, he added.
“It is their decision. We had deployed heavy security for the team. Pakistan is a peace promoter in the world. And this tour was cancelled through a conspiracy. It is their problem and what they decide,” he added.
There was a significantly heavier security cover in the approach to the Rawalpindi stadium than has perhaps been in evidence since cricket trickled back into the country. Roadblocks had been set up miles from the stadium several hours ahead of time, and security searches were extensive.
‘A blow’
The New Zealand’s decision will be seen as a blow to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s efforts to bring full international cricket with all teams back, after the country’s team was forced to play in exile for six years following a 2008 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.
Since 2015, when the Zimbabwean men’s cricket team held a historic tour to mark the return of international cricket to Pakistan, there have been several tours by other countries. In January, the South African team played the latest of those tours.
Meanwhile, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said that it would make the decision on its planned tour to Pakistan in the next 24 to 48 hours, according to a spokesperson for the board.
The ECB spokesperson said the board was aware of New Zealand’s decision. “We are liaising with our security team who are on the ground in Pakistan to fully understand the situation. The ECB will then decide in the next 24-48 hours whether our planned tour should proceed,” the spokesperson said.
