BlackCaps abandon tour to Pakistan following a New Zealand government security alert

[Sherlock]

The BLACKCAPS are abandoning their tour of Pakistan following a New Zealand government security alert.

The side was to play Pakistan this evening in the first of three ODIs in Rawalpindi, before moving to Lahore for a five match T20 series.

However, following an escalation in the New Zealand Government threat levels for Pakistan, and advice from NZC security advisors on the ground, it has been decided the BLACKCAPS will not continue with the tour.

Arrangements are now being made for the team’s departure.

NZC chief executive David White said it was simply not possible to continue with the tour given the advice he was receiving.

“I understand this will be a blow for the PCB, who have been wonderful hosts, but player safety is paramount and we believe this is the only responsible option.”

New Zealand Cricket Players Association chief executive Heath Mills echoed Mr White’s sentiments.

“We’ve been across this process throughout and are fully supportive of the decision,” he said.

“The players are in good hands; they’re safe – and everyone’s acting in their best interests.”

NZC will not comment on the details of the security threat nor the updated arrangements for the departing squad.

==

PCB statement

Islamabad, 17 September 2021:

Earlier today, New Zealand Cricket informed us they had been alerted to some security alert and have unilaterally decided to postpone the series.

Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan Government made foolproof security arrangements for all visiting teams. We have assured the New Zealand Cricket of the same. The Pakistan Prime Minister spoke personally to the Prime Minister of New Zealand and informed her that we have one of the best intelligence systems in the world and that no security threat of any kind exists for the visiting team.

The security officials with the New Zealand team have been satisfied with security arrangements made by the Pakistan Government throughout their stay here.

PCB is willing to continue the scheduled matches. However, cricket lovers in Pakistan and around the world will be disappointed by this last minute withdrawal.

[SangasCoverDrive]

I said it few months ago that Australia and NZ are not gonna tour Pakistan Bc of Taliban in Afghanistan but no one believed me

[KhanNn]

On a serious note though. Let's think logically and not emotionally. I think NZ made the right call given the regional instability and the attacks that have happened in recent times.

If it was the other way around. PCB probably would still have given a green light to continue but really though if you're professional and value your players. You would do everything possible to protect them even if there was a hint of intelligence or feeling that things have changed. Pakistan hasn't even been able to give the Chinese the security they are demanding. So I'm not surprised. Until all the attacks continue I don't see cricket starting unfortunately.

[Titan24]

On a serious note though. Let's think logically and not emotionally. I think NZ made the right call given the regional instability and the attacks that have happened in recent times.

I want to be completely neutral but, whatever way you look at it its poor stuff. Regional shifts were already happening when they agreed to tour, nothing has happened in 12 hrs to cancel it and with regards to the region.

[MoJoJoJo]

Back to the srilankan days i guess.. don't think England, NZ and Aus are gonna tour anytime soon.

[marlonbrowndo]

This is going to go down as one of the darkest days in Pakistan Cricket history. Feels like all that time and effort over the last few years has been flushed down the drain.

[deep82]

Looks like England tour will also be called off as the security advisor is the same as of NZ team.

[Cricfan4eva]

Looks like England tour will also be called off as the security advisor is the same as of NZ team.

There is time for that to be shifted to Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. UAE might not be available due to IPL.

PP 2nd favourite team pulls out of a tour to Pakistan. Let's see if the usual suspects will defend them or criticise them.

Why would you criticize them? They received orders from security agencies, out of their hands at that point.

[rockyboy2018]

Just like the USA is asking Pakistan to pick sides hopefully it is not that part of the political nexus.

[Hasan123]

There is time for that to be shifted to Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. UAE might not be available due to IPL.



Why would you criticize them? They received orders from security agencies, out of their hands at that point.

Oh just wait and see how our fans will criticise. Me personally I have accepted cricket boards will look out for themselves.

[Hasan123]

PP 2nd favourite team pulls out of a tour to Pakistan. Let's see if the usual suspects will defend them or criticise them.

[Usman Chadda]

This is going to go down as one of the darkest days in Pakistan Cricket history. Feels like all that time and effort over the last few years has been flushed down the drain.

How so?

The public needs to be made aware of this ‘security high level’ threat that has ended up calling off the tour like this.

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Bleed on effect from Afghanistan, all these security advisors will cite that

[sensible-indian-fan]

Bleed on effect from Afghanistan, all these security advisors will cite that

Isn't it true tho?

[Greenstorm]

Isn't it true tho?

No.

[GLORY OF '92]

Cowardly and disgraceful. Hope to see NZ cricket suffer a lot for this betrayal.

[oatmeal]

What changed in the last 24 hours?

[marlonbrowndo]

What changed in the last 24 hours?

This is the million dollar question

[Mesozoic]

Good luck getting England and Australia now..

[SangasCoverDrive]

Pakistan paying the price of supporting Taliban openly

[rockyboy2018]

Much needed rest for the Pakistan team. It is just a random decision by NZC or what are these secret security threats they have found. Bad things can even happen in NZ itself.

[Mirpur express]

The Kiwi government have been advised the by security team here with the side regarding a threat !! Apparently a high risk security threat!!
Basically DARPOAK choozay!! 🤦🏽*♂️
What an anticlimax
What a crying shame
In fact what a disgrace..

[Energy]

It is very sad to see that the value of Pakistan is worthless in the eyes of the world.

[Junaids]

Remember, the NZ team has experienced a bomb attack in Pakistan this century.

They wouldn’t have gone to Pakistan if they didn’t intend to play!

[Sycamore]

Remember, the NZ team has experienced a bomb attack in Pakistan this century.

They wouldn’t have gone to Pakistan if they didn’t intend to play!

The players don't have a say in playing or not playing. This is straight from the NZ government/ security advisors, even the NZC board or security on ground couldn't have advised or taken a decision in this case.

[shamaan]

Remember, the NZ team has experienced a bomb attack in Pakistan this century.

They wouldn’t have gone to Pakistan if they didn’t intend to play!

They caused more harm than good they Had High level security.India already stated that something will happen in terms of attack time ago I belive.

[Ramsay]

This is comedy gold!

Last minute cancellation. Lol. 🤣

[Sherlock]

Let's not blame NZ here. If their government advised them to leave then it's in their best interest to do so.

To blame NZ for this is rather stupid tbh.

[oatmeal]

if they werent sure, NZC should have mutually postponed the tour before visiting.

Cancelling it at the last moment is a pointless waste of time for everyone. It also negatively impacts any future tours. I dont think England will visit now

[Aman]

if they werent sure, NZC should have mutually postponed the tour before visiting.

Cancelling it at the last moment is a pointless waste of time for everyone. It also negatively impacts any future tours. I dont think England will visit now

Because NZC should go against NZ government's wishes and proceed when they have been alerted to potential threats all the sake of a cricket series... Be rational, in what world is a sports governing body going to disregard what their government and security officials have advised?

[sindhiboy]

Couldn't the security advisor tell nzc before they arrived in Pakistan?

[Ramsay]

I really feel sorry for PCB and Pakistan cricket fans here.

[globalcitizen]

Something serious must have happened or some fresh intelligence , otherwise an entire tour can't be cancelled. Very unfortunate really. Feel sad for Pakistan fans

[Rana]

What are these security threats? Public lives are in danger

[90MPH]

You can’t blame the NZ cricket team or even their board - they wanted to play but they have to follow the advice.

I got no idea how credible this security threat was or the intelligence behind it.

It’s just a sad day for Pakistan cricket and their long suffering home fans.

[PakLFC]

Even 1% threat is too much. No there is no conspiracy here other then the situation in Afghanistan. Said so before this tour was announced that I'll believe it when i see it. Don't expect any other country to visit soon either if players are feeling unsafe. It is the curse of Afghanistan being our neighbour that cancelled this tour. Much better to cancel the tour then see dead bodies again although one wonders if the PCB did not see any threats then how come the NZ board did? Welcome to Pak cricket, Ramiz.

[Aman]

Even 1% threat is too much. No there is no conspiracy here other then the situation in Afghanistan. Said so before this tour was announced that I'll believe it when i see it. Don't expect any other country to visit soon either if players are feeling unsafe. It is the curse of Afghanistan being our neighbour that cancelled this tour. Much better to cancel the tour then see dead bodies again although one wonders if the PCB did not see any threats then how come the NZ board did? Welcome to Pak cricket, Ramiz.

Yup, the Taliban taking over Afghanistan has been big news here. Makes sense why the NZ government being cautious as they deployed soldiers to fight against Taliban in Afghanistan.

[Shafi]

Yup, the Taliban taking over Afghanistan has been big news here. Makes sense why the NZ government being cautious as they deployed soldiers to fight against Taliban in Afghanistan.

So they didn't cancel the tour earlies. Why waste time?

[Abdulm123]

If there is no conspiracy behind it then why did they cancel the series so abruptly the day before it begun? If they really cancelled because of the Afghan situation, they would have already cancelled it a month back.

[shamaan]

Even 1% threat is too much. No there is no conspiracy here other then the situation in Afghanistan. Said so before this tour was announced that I'll believe it when i see it. Don't expect any other country to visit soon either if players are feeling unsafe. It is the curse of Afghanistan being our neighbour that cancelled this tour. Much better to cancel the tour then see dead bodies again although one wonders if the PCB did not see any threats then how come the NZ board did? Welcome to Pak cricket, Ramiz.

Thier is threat where ever you go does that mean we cancel everything.India already reported this time ago.players were safe hence why they travelled to Pakistan

[PakLFC]

Thier is threat where ever you go does that mean we cancel everything.India already reported this time ago.players were safe hence why they travelled to Pakistan

This issue has nothing to do with India. The NZ players were obviously not satisfied when travelling to Rawalpindi. Lets not look for conspiracy theories like we always do like RAW phoning Kane Williamson to pull NZ out if he wants to play in the IPL. Clearly, the safety measures were inadequate.

[Babar_the_Destroyer]

So it was security alert.

[YousafTheBeast]

There’s no way the England cricket team will be touring Pakistan after this. The ECB would’ve wanted to see how the NZ series went before making their decision.

West Indies tour rained off, NZ and England series cancelled, losing to England C, what a frustrating year for Pakistan.

[marlonbrowndo]

Obviously it is idiotic to blame the New Zealand team or board. There are 2 possible scenarios.

1) There was a major security lapse or threat that could not be contained. This would be completely unforgivable given the context. Both the PCB and Government should be held accountable in this case.

2) The New Zealand Government panicked over a false scare or had bad intel in which case they should be held accountable for the damage this will cause Pakistan Cricket.

[Greenstorm]

Seems fishy. Calling off at the last minute doesn't make much sense. What has changed this morning ? What is it that super duper Kiwi intel agencies have found out this morning that our authorities could not ?

I think its more than just 'security concerns'.

[Aman]

Apparently security officials at the ground said they shouldn't travel... what is going on?.. This is getting scary and there was an immediate threat to the team at the ground.

[alishahid]

Pakistan Vs Srilanka comming up to fill the void. Most probably a Pak tour of Lanka coming uo

[Forward Defensive Push]

NZ should share solid evidence why they ran away else they need to cover for all costs of the series.

[shamaan]

NZ should share solid evidence why they ran away else they need to cover for all costs of the series.

They should pay all the costs then they not invite New Zealand again hone or away.

[abdulrafay33]

If i remember correctly this was the same country where Bangaldesh cricketers narrowly escaped a mosque attack and still that tour was continued if i remember correctly and now these cowards cry about security threats. Stupid people!

[Mamoon]

We deserve this humiliation.

Thank you PTI government. Thank you to the most incompetent government in Pakistan history.

There is no coming back after this humiliation. We are back to square one.

[sensible-indian-fan]

We deserve this humiliation.

Thank you PTI government. Thank you to the most incompetent government in Pakistan history.

There is no coming back after this humiliation. We are back to square one.

Is PTI to blame?

Or Pak Mil?

[AMSS]

We deserve this humiliation.

Thank you PTI government. Thank you to the most incompetent government in Pakistan history.

There is no coming back after this humiliation. We are back to square one.

If the reports that Imran personally called NZ PM and assured of best security at the hands of the best intelligence agency are true then the magnitude of this debacle goes up in spades.

[maint12345]

Very wrong move by imran to personally call the nz PM. It reeks of desperation.
Already its major headlines in bbc , al Jazeera , etc.
With the way the Afghanistan situation has devolved , and imran khan shooting his mouth off about the western countries in Afghanistan, it seems to be payback time.
Remember India and Pakistan played in sri Lanka when the aussies withdrew during the civil war.
Also England continued their tour of India inspite of the Mumbai attacks .
Their is a strong political element in sports and you cant keep on badmouthing countries and expect sports to continue ss usual.

[zn426]

We deserve this humiliation.

Thank you PTI government. Thank you to the most incompetent government in Pakistan history.

There is no coming back after this humiliation. We are back to square one.

No Pakistan does not. The team was not attacked, all security measures were in place, and despite having been in PK a week nothing had happened. This is politics and enormously bad form by NZ.

[Rudi hater]

We deserve this humiliation.

Thank you PTI government. Thank you to the most incompetent government in Pakistan history.

There is no coming back after this humiliation. We are back to square one.

Huh, that's a childish comment. Only India mix politics with sports. Its fine India got humiliated in Afghanistan and I will take that.

[Shoaibbtt]

We demand a proper answer from NZ, this is disgraceful to say the least

[Mamoon]

NZ officially drops the “good guy” act.

There goes our soft spot for New Zealand cricket. They are now one of the antagonists.

[marlonbrowndo]

NZ officially drops the “good guy” act.

There goes our soft spot for New Zealand cricket. They are now one of the antagonists.

Why would any sensible person blame the New Zealand Cricket team in this case?

[Maliq_Mudasir]

We deserve this humiliation.

Thank you PTI government. Thank you to the most incompetent government in Pakistan history.

There is no coming back after this humiliation. We are back to square one.

Strange ! Why dont u question NZ govt ? What kind of security threat they received just an hour before match ?

Bangladesh team almost got attacked in mosque few years back in NZ. Did u blame NZ govt back then ?

[ARK Rafay]

This feels very odd. 30 mins away from the start of the game and now there are security threats? The team has been here for an entire week and training. But suddenly massive change of plans?

[YousafTheBeast]

Not sure why our fans are blaming the NZ cricket board, blame the government of NZ.

Also, if there was a security threat to the NZ cricket team, then why should we risk being banned for another 10 years of hosting international cricket and potentially losing foreign players in the PSL just for this series against NZ C which doesn’t even have an affect on the WC qualifiers?

[James]

Oh my word. At this stage of proceedings as well.

How deeply frustrating and disappointing.

This sucks.

[Rana]

So basically PCB can abandon a tour an hour before it’s start if the ISI tell them that there is a security threat?

[fitCricFan]

Well BCCI had recently threatened Cricket Boards not to send even retired players to Pakistan. Just saying.

That could very well be the case.

[Theo_14]

A sad day.

This needs to be deeply investigated. Hardwork, planning where a decade was invested has now gone down the drain.

[Aman]

There's a video I've seen of ground staff checking for bombs at the ground......

[Babar_the_Destroyer]

There are pictures of security officer's checking the stadium with bomb checking device,so the threat has Tobe there

[Aman]

There are pictures of security officer's checking the stadium with bomb checking device,so the threat has Tobe there

Is that a normal procedure or was there some credible reports of a bomb?..

In that case man oh man, how can you expect NZ to continue after such a threat..

[Shafi]

Is that a normal procedure or was there some credible reports of a bomb?..

In that case man oh man, how can you expect NZ to continue after such a threat..

Source please???

[Aman]

Source please???

My post had a youtube video, it's been removed.

[Abdullah]

Is that a normal procedure or was there some credible reports of a bomb?..

In that case man oh man, how can you expect NZ to continue after such a threat..

What is wrong with you guys, If I am being told there is a security threat in my house, I'm gonna start checking

Doesn't meant it's actually real does it

[Ahmed216]

What is wrong with you guys, If I am being told there is a security threat in my house, I'm gonna start checking

Doesn't meant it's actually real does it

Cowards. They lock themselves down on a single covid case

[zarak]

Is that a normal procedure or was there some credible reports of a bomb?..

In that case man oh man, how can you expect NZ to continue after such a threat..

Mate they check my car for a bomb when I go to the mall. Shall I leave the country

[Snatch]

Mate they check my car for a bomb when I go to the mall. Shall I leave the country

I'm not trying to be smart here, just honest. If my car had to be checked for bombs when I went shopping, I might very well consider living elsewhere. Many do for those reasons, I know some of them.

[zarak]

I'm not trying to be smart here, just honest. If my car had to be checked for bombs when I went shopping, I might very well consider living elsewhere. Many do for those reasons, I know some of them.

Really. It is just a small stick with a mirror put underneath your car. They also briefly look in your trunk. It is a pretty standard procedure. I think this is the problem. It seems pretty dramatic to you but quite normal here. Things are safe.

The tour being cancelled is a classic case of people in distant locations dramatizing the developing world.

[Aman]

Mate they check my car for a bomb when I go to the mall. Shall I leave the country

That's not normal for NZ..

[Titan24]

Imagine a country hosting multiple armies including US and many others who are evacuating the Afg region and somehow NZ team isnt safe.

[Maliq_Mudasir]

They could have declined touring Pakistan in the beginning itself.

This has taken Pakistan cricket back by further 10 years.

NZ Govt/Board has to be answerable for such huge loss to PCB.

If there were some lapses in providing best security to players, highlight that and held PCB accountable.

But citing security concerns without sharing proper facts is not acceptable.

Cricketing world should demand justification.

[Mamoon]

Iftikhar Ahmed: “I am the most famous finisher in Pakistan”.

No Iftikhar, it is the New Zealand cricket team. They finished off the whole tour without playing a single ball.