New Zealand-Pakistan series
NZC CEO: There was no way we could stay in Pakistan after receiving credible threat
|| CF DESK ||
New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White believes the decision to abort Pakistan tour was right as the cricket team couldn't have stayed in the host country after receiving a "specific and credible" threat.
The 34-member contingent, which included 21 players and support staff have reached Dubai are undergoing a mandatory 24-hour quarantine in the hotel. The rest will remain in the UAE and join the New Zealand T20 squad, ahead of the World Cup beginning on October 17.
White said, in a statement, “everything changed” drastically in on Friday. He further opined that the players’ safety was by large their only concern.
"We appreciate this has been a terribly difficult time for the PCB and wish to pass on our sincere thanks to chief executive Wasim Khan and his team for their professionalism and care," White said in a statement.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) called off the series in Pakistan abruptly on Friday just before the first One-Day International at the Rawalpindi stadium, citing they had received a serious security threat "What I can say is that we were advised this was a specific and credible threat against the team," White said.
New Zealand had arrived in Pakistan on September 11 for a white-ball series after 18 years and were scheduled to play three ODIs and five T20 Internationals.