New Zealand cricket team has reached Dubai after two days to leave His tour of Pakistan over security concerns, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said in a statement on Sunday.
The squad of 34 players and support staff took off on a charter flight from Islamabad. He is now settling down in his hotel in Dubai and is undergoing 24-hour self-isolation. Statement.
NZC said 24 of the squad would fly back to New Zealand next week as flights and MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine) rooms became available, adding that the rest of the squad would remain in Dubai and join the T20 World Cup squad. The tournament is scheduled to start from October 17.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said he was “grateful” to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for helping organize the team’s safe departure from the country.
“We appreciate that this has been a very difficult time for the PCB and we would like to thank Chief Executive Wasim Khan and his team for their professional attitude and care,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.
Talking about the reason for leaving the tour, White said he had “no choice” after receiving advice from the New Zealand government of a “specific, credible threat”.
The Cricket Authority said this advice is supported by NZC security advisors on the ground as well as other independent sources.
NZC said, “While the general duration of the threat was immediately shared with the PCB, White reiterated that specific details cannot and will not be disclosed privately or publicly.”
“We had several conversations with New Zealand government officials before making the decision … unfortunately, given the advice we had received, we had no way of staying in the country,” White shared.
The NZC chief said the New Zealand team remained “comfortable” with their initial decision to tour Pakistan, adding that it was based on a comprehensive assessment of the security situation and the promise of risk mitigation measures.
However, “everything changed on Friday,” he said.
“The advice changed, the threat level changed and, as a result, we took the only responsible course of action possible,” he reiterated.
On Friday, New Zealand’s team unilaterally postponed the series with Pakistan minutes before the start of the first match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Surprised fans and officials.
According to the PCB, Pakistan had “complete security arrangements for all the visiting teams” and had “assured NZC about the same”.
The PCB said while the New Zealand team was satisfied with the security arrangements throughout their stay, cricket lovers from Pakistan and around the world were “disappointed” at the last minute return.
The New Zealand cricket team reached Pakistan for the first time in 18 years on September 11 to play three ODIs and five Twenty20 Internationals.
The ODI series against New Zealand was to be played at the Rawalpindi Stadium, with matches scheduled for September 17, 19 and 21, while five T20Is were to be held at the Gaddafi Stadium from September 25 to October 3.