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The team was alarmed by recent security issues, and they, therefore, elected to leave Pakistan and cut short their stay.
Prime Minister Imran Khan promised New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern security that is unassailable.
Pakistan and New Zealand are set to compete in 3 One-Day Internationals and 5 Twenty20 Internationals.
Pakistan promised complete protection, but New Zealand withdrew from its tour before the first ODI started. Prime Minister Imran Khan promised New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that she would be safe, but the country’s administration wanted to take no chances.
On Friday, the New Zealand cricket team canceled its tour of Pakistan before the start of the first ODI after citing a security threat. However, the host board insisted that there was no such threat, and thus claimed that the cancellation was made by the New Zealand team unilaterally. Pakistan hadn’t hosted a trip by New Zealand in 18 years, and the tour consisted of three ODI matches and five T20Is. To preserve the COVID-19 value, fans would be given access to the arena at a quarter of the full capacity.
Disagreements between the two teams occurred when they were unable to begin their first ODI in the white-ball series on time at the Rawalpindi Stadium on Friday because they were both staying in their respective hotel rooms.
David White, the CEO of New Zealand Cricket, ultimately released a statement, saying that his government’s advice was that it would be impossible to go on with the tour. The Black Caps have been in Pakistan since the terror attacks of September 11.
“The PCB has been great hosts, but player safety is more important than anything, and we believe this is the only responsible option,” he explained.
New Zealand made the decision to postpone the upcoming series, to the displeasure of the Pakistan Cricket Board, which claimed that the nation had taken unilateral action.
The withdrawal has seriously undermined Ramiz Raja, the recently appointed head of PCB who is a former national team captain. His responsibility is to make international cricket more accessible in Pakistan.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has promised New Zealand Cricket (NZC) that the board will make similar preparations for every foreign team that visits Pakistan,” the PCB said in its statement.
“Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan told New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that Pakistan’s security apparatus is the greatest in the world and that there is no security concern to her team during their visit,” the Pakistani statement said.
To give them time to participate in the IPL, the team did not put its stars like Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson, and Lockie Ferguson in the squad.
It was for the sake of the players that New Zealand Cricket Players Association chief executive Heath Mills claimed that the withdrawal was a good choice.
“Everyone’s acting in their best interests, and the players are well-taken care of,” Mills remarked.
It additionally declared that it will not talk about the security danger and the team’s departure specifics.
According to the PCB, the New Zealand delegation was pleased with the conditions of their stay with the hosts, as stated by security personnel with the New Zealand team.
“Unfortunately, it appears that the withdrawal will affect cricket fans around the world and in Pakistan, who were looking forward to the next encounter.” This is what the PCB said.
The Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked in 2009, and many teams were afraid to visit Pakistan in the wake of that incident.
In the attack, six Sri Lankan players were hurt, and it resulted in the deaths of six Pakistani policemen and two civilians.
Teams, such as Pakistan, play most of their series in the UAE as a result. It will welcome England and the West Indies later this year, with Australia visiting next year.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) issued a statement saying it was aware of the situation and would make a decision later about whether to continue with the two Twenty20 International matches scheduled for October 13 and 14. The games will be held in Rawalpindi.
Sky Sports quoted the ECB as saying, “The ECB Board will determine in the next 24-48 hours whether our planned tour should occur.”
The tour in December features three ODIs and as many T20s.
Australia will be playing a total of five series in Pakistan in 2019, two Tests, three ODIs, and one equal number of T20 Internationals.
