Black Caps' Pakistan tour subject to security reassessment as players raise concerns

[poyzzplaidwell]

New Zealand Cricket expects its Black Caps to depart for Bangladesh as planned next week, but whether they continue to Pakistan is uncertain as some players express concern over security after the Taliban’s takeover of neighbouring Afghanistan.

A second-string 15-man New Zealand squad, under captain Tom Latham and stand-in coach Glenn Pocknall, are scheduled to leave Auckland on Monday night for five Twenty20 internationals starting in Dhaka on September 1.

NZC’s public affairs manager Richard Boock said the shift to Covid-19 alert level 4 in Auckland on Wednesday wasn’t expected to affect their travel plans, for the team’s first tour since their World Test Championship final victory over India in June.

“We still have some matters to work through but we’re confident we’ll be able to arrange for the players to depart as scheduled,” Boock told Stuff.

“Regarding Covid-19, our players will be vaccinated and adhering to best-practice health protocols, including mask-wearing, social distancing and operating within bio-secure bubbles. Once in Bangladesh, they will be flying into, and out of Pakistan on charter flights.”

NZC agreed to undertake the Black Caps’ first tour of Pakistan in 18 years, with three one-day internationals and five T20s scheduled for Rawalpindi and Lahore from September 17 to October 3. As many as seven frontline members of the T20 World Cup squad including captain Kane Williamson will be absent, at the rescheduled Indian Premier League.

The remarkable events of recent days in Afghanistan provided a boost to an affiliated insurgent group, the Pakistani Taliban, the Washington Post reported, and heightened security concerns in Pakistan.

NZ Cricket Players Association boss, Heath Mills, said team manager Mike Sandle and a security consultant were currently in Bangladesh to provide a final sign-off of security and Covid biosecurity arrangements. Then, next week, NZC’s longtime independent security consultant Reg Dickason would visit Pakistan for a detailed assessment of the situation there.

“We’re very comfortable with the process we’ve got, but notwithstanding that, with events in Afghanistan in the last few days, it’s very sad what’s happening in that country and people are obviously asking questions of our security check processes,” Mills said.

“That includes players, which is completely understandable. We just need to assure them of the process, and follow it, and reach a determination.”

Dickason accompanied the Black Caps to Pakistan in 2002 when a fatal bomb blast outside their Karachi hotel on the morning of the second test saw their tour cut short. They returned to play five ODIs in late 2003 without incident, but have not returned since due to security concerns.

Mills said Dickason would undertake the standard security check of every touring nation, as agreed between the NZCPA and NZC for the past 12 years.

“That will take him four or five days and then he’ll report back, and recommend whether the tour goes ahead, or it doesn’t for whatever reason... if there are changes to whatever the plan might be.”

Assuming the tour went ahead, Dickason would remain with the group, “and at any point if he’s uncomfortable he would communicate that and the team would exit Pakistan.”

Mills said if any players decided not to tour for safety reasons they could withdraw without fear of repercussions from NZC. None had yet indicated they were reconsidering their place on the tours.

Boock said NZC was in the process of conducting its normal pre-tour reconnaissance for Bangladesh and Pakistan, led by Dickason, as it did ahead of all overseas tours.

“We have a team on the ground now. As always, we will be guided by the advice we receive.”

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricke...raise-concerns

[poyzzplaidwell]

Good move by NZ cricket. Hopefully some sense prevails and the tour is cancelled.

[poyzzplaidwell]

Turner raises serious concerns over Pakistan tour

New Zealand great Glenn Turner has questioned whether New Zealand Cricket has its players’ best interests at heart by agreeing to tour Pakistan next month.
Turner, a former player, coach and selector for the national team, wrote a letter to the Otago Daily Times expressing his concern.

The Black Caps leave for a tour of Bangladesh early next week and will continue on to Pakistan, where they will play three one-day internationals and five twenty20s.

New Zealand last toured Pakistan in 2003 for a five-match ODI series.

The previous year it abandoned its test series following a bombing outside its Karachi hotel. International tours to Pakistan have been rare since a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers was attacked by 12 gunmen in March 2009.

‘‘Just when duty of care for athletes has become a hot topic, New Zealand Cricket announces a tour to Pakistan,’’ Turner wrote.

‘‘Pakistan is not only Covid-19 ravaged, currently averaging around 4500 reported cases daily, but even more concerning are the developments of Taliban successes in neighbouring Afghanistan.

‘‘According to a BBC report earlier this month, it is likely there will be a resurgence of Taliban cells in Pakistan.

‘‘Taliban cells are already known to be present in Pakistani cities and these have a history of carrying out attacks within Pakistan.’’

Turner reiterated his comments when contacted yesterday.

‘‘Can they be that confident that things have changed?’’ he said.

NZC chief executive David White was unavailable for comment yesterday.

However, a spokesman said the players ‘‘will be vaccinated and adhering to best-practice health protocols, including mask-wearing, social distancing and operating within biosecure bubbles’’.

They will also travelling on charter flights.

‘‘In terms of safety and security, New Zealand Cricket is in the process of conducting its normal pre-tour reconnaissance for Pakistan.’’

The process will be led by independent security consultant Reg Dickason.

‘‘As always, we’ll be guided by the advice we receive.’’

https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/cricket/...-pakistan-tour

[rangeelaraja]

Life and Safety triumphs cricket.

 

#SaynotocricketinPakistan

[Number]

Cricket teams started touring Pakistan again but now with Taliban takeover of Kabul they are going back to year 2009 again.

Pakistanis are celebrating this strategic victory ?

[EnterTheVoid]

Has Pakistan hosted any international cricket since the attack on the SL team in Lahore in 2009?

[jf1gp_1]

No harm in being cautious but cancel tour for valid reasons and not on hunch. Yes, we all love to hate Pakistan but cant have one more country stop playing quality cricket.

[Number]

1 minute ago, EnterTheVoid said:

Has Pakistan hosted any international cricket since the attack on the SL team in Lahore in 2009?

 

West Indies and South Africa toured them.

NZ and England were scheduled to tour there but with their strategic win over India in Afghanistan they may not see intl cricket again for a few years.

[Trichromatic]

32 minutes ago, jf1gp_1 said:

No harm in being cautious but cancel tour for valid reasons and not on hunch. Yes, we all love to hate Pakistan but cant have one more country stop playing quality cricket.

 

Problem is that Pakistanis think they are entitled to have a series in Pakistan and other countries are obliged to tour them.

 

They will end up messing it up themselves.

[ShoonyaSifar]

46 minutes ago, jf1gp_1 said:

No harm in being cautious but cancel tour for valid reasons and not on hunch. Yes, we all love to hate Pakistan but cant have one more country stop playing quality cricket.

On hunch? NZ team narrowly escaped a hotel bombing back in 2002. Even if there is slightest of a threat perception, they will be fully within their rights to cancel the tour. 

 

This is common sense not out of 'hatred' for Pakistan

[New guy]

4 hours ago, Number said:

 

West Indies and South Africa toured them.

NZ and England were scheduled to tour there but with their strategic win over India in Afghanistan they may not see intl cricket again for a few years.

Wonder what that strategic win is. There will be return of violent terrorism in Pakistan and they are just being the plaything of china. As neighbors,  Afghanistans instability will affect them the most (they had relative peace in the last few years)

Edited August 18, 2021 by New guy

[rkt.india]

11 minutes ago, New guy said:

Wonder what that strategic win is. There will be return of violent terrorism in Pakistan and are just being the plaything of china. As neighbors Afghanistans instability will affect them the most (they had relative peace in the last few years)

All Indian investment gone down the drain. Instability is what ISI thrives on.

[New guy]

11 minutes ago, rkt.india said:

All Indian investment gone down the drain. Instability is what ISI thrives on.

Yeah can understand ISI and pak army agenda, but cannot understand the celebration by paksitani citizens. They have seen a bit of peace and prosperity for last few years, that will all disappear now

[New guy]

27 minutes ago, Aiden said:

Taliban taking over in Afghanistan so lets stop playing cricket in Pakistan. Great Lahori logic. 

 

According to same logic Pakistan should not tour NZ whenever there is a brush fire in Aussie deserts.

Yeah except the world remembers the last time what happened in pakistan when taliban was in power. How many terrorist attacks took place, how many kidnappings of foreigners. 

 

You are living in La La Land if you think taliban taking over afghanistan is somehow great for pakistan and wont affect the country. They will 100% want to force their idealogy on their neighbors. 

 

There will be taliban groups and their supporters/sympathizers who will be in pakistan wanting to gain power and influence, in Pakistan. They will spread in educational institutes, among religious leaders and politicians and even in army,  they will spread their hatred and teachings and take over institutions and systems. There will be other factions who hate taliban and fight them. And all these factions will carry attacks inside pakistan

 

The sri lankan attack was orchestrated by an offshoot of pakistani taliban, a group which hated Afghanistani taliban

 

All the last few years of peace and stability will disappear. And kiwi players will be perfect hostage targets in such a scenario 

Edited August 18, 2021 by New guy

[nevada]

Why can't Pak have their "home" series in the UAE like it used to? Why should teams be subject to a trial by fire by touring a dangerous country? Just to try to prove to the world that all is well in Pakistan? Teams are sending second string players to tour the dangerous country but these guys are humans too, losing their lives is no less of a tragedy than first choice players losing it. 

[AuxiliA]

15 minutes ago, New guy said:

Yeah can understand ISI and pak army agenda, but cannot understand the celebration by paksitani citizens. They have seen a bit of peace and prosperity for last few years, that will all disappear now

 

You are highly underestimating the extent to which their public has been brainwashed and radicalized in the name of Islam. 

 

Even in India most Mullahs and Muslim leaders have openly hailed Taliban takeover. 

[Suhaan]

paxtani aam terrorist jaahil awaam who were celebrating the babaric takeover of Afghanistan will be the first in line of sight of Taliban in coming weeks

Those don't deserve any sort of civilian entertainment when they simultaneously celebrate animals triumphing over humanity

[ShoonyaSifar]

2 hours ago, rkt.india said:

All Indian investment gone down the drain. Instability is what ISI thrives on.

Why? While the investments were always high-risk, our investment in dams, roads, schools, colleges, libraries, stadiums - as much as Taliban would love to, they cannot destroy all of this. 

[Suhaan]

Sabse Pehle Toh aapne Ghabrana nahi Hai

[ShoonyaSifar]

2 hours ago, Aiden said:

Taliban taking over in Afghanistan so lets stop playing cricket in Pakistan. Great Lahori logic. 

 

According to same logic Pakistan should not tour NZ whenever there is a brush fire in Aussie deserts.

Err. Taliban have released thousands of prisoners which include hardcore TTP terrorists who were wreacking havoc in Pakistan earlier. Do you think they are all going to keep quiet now?