The New Zealand cricket board has on Friday informed Pakistani counterparts they have been “alerted to some security alert” and have thus decided to postpone the series without consultation.
The media statement, following the postponement of the first of one day international (ODI) series format, said that New Zealand Cricket unilaterally decided to postpone the series. “PCB and Pakistan Government made foolproof security arrangements for all visiting teams,” the statement read on Friday.
In a surprising turn of events, the New Zealand team failed to appear on the pitch on Friday and media reported it might have been due to the Covid instance amongst the players. It is pertinent to note that Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke to the New Zealand premier Jacinda Adern personally and reassured her that Pakistan has 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 were satisfied with security arrangements made by the Pakistan Government throughout their stay here, PCB said. PCB said it is willing to continue the scheduled matches. The cricket lovers in Pakistan and around the world “will be disappointed by this last-minute withdrawal”. = DNA
