Was it the right decision by New Zealand Cricket to abandon the tour of Pakistan?

[MenInG]

Did they overreact? Did they not consult Pakistani counterparts or did they do the right thing?

 

[wajid]

Do we have any info on what was the threat?

 

[AamchiMumbaikar]

Yes. Right decision.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

We need to know what the threat was before commenting.

I cant blame the cricket team. If their government told them their life was at risk then they have every right to leave. It becomes hard to stomach though when this is the same team whos captain ( who isnt playing) was happy playing in other countries when people died of covid around him. He even posted selfies in hazmat suits.

I disagree with New Zealands unilateral approach and do feel they quickly reached a conclusion without consultation.

 

[Major]

Depends on the intelligence report they had.

The team had been travelling to the pindi stadium for practise everyday. They had a whole entourage of security with them. The only possible way to attack a bus wass through a rocket launcher. And no moving rocket launchers are not that easy...

Looking at the security aranagments, there was no possible way any idiot would had attack the team bus.

I have been to pindi ground for the srilanka series. They checked us 3 times and even tested our phones to make sure and did not allow us to even carry headphones to the stadium.

It all depends on what intelligence these guys got. If the intelligence was something that was a concern that it was the right decision.

Lets see what more comes out.

 

[hitthestump]

Yes, completely unsafe.

Unless it's India and a pandemic is ravaging through the population, in which case it$ ok.

 

[oatmeal]

The problem is we dont know how credible the threat was. I dont think the intelligence will ever be put in the public domain

If there was a credible threat, they were totally correct to cancel the tour. however if the threat was overblown, it was a mistake on their part. White western nations will always play it safe.

 

[Titan24]

Armies of multiple countries are being hosted in Islamabad as part of their Afg evacuation, what kind of intel they had that someone was really interested in NZ players. There are no facts they can provide that can justify this.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

The real question to ask is.

If other countries are going to take this decision and send us into isolation, do we do the same to them when we tour them?

I would love to see the faces of NZ then.

 

[Rana]

Yes. Right decision.

Did you provide NZ with the intel?

 

[Runner Up]

Will NZ share what threat alert they received and from whom?

 

[Titan24]

The real question to ask is.

If other countries are going to take this decision and send us into isolation, do we do the same to them when we tour them?

I would love to see the faces of NZ then.

Ofcourse it would only be fair. Pak has provided state level security, country has been successfully hosting all other countries (Almost half the test playing nations) and now still had to face losses due to NZ team pulling out before the toss.

Why should Pakistan cricket just be producing team and players to earn money for other boards so that they can host and earn while they are not going to reply the courtesy.

 

[Rana]

Will NZ share what threat alert they received and from whom?

Don’t know about NZ but you are better off asking Indian journalists

 

[Snatch]

Where is the 'We won't know until the facts come out" vote option?

 

[lahoriyah1234]

We all Know who is behind this, so lets not even talk about this. NZL should be put in their place for once, Pakistan must review its relationship with NZCB and look for compensation straightup.

 

[wajid]

Armies of multiple countries are being hosted in Islamabad as part of their Afg evacuation, what kind of intel they had that someone was really interested in NZ players. There are no facts they can provide that can justify this.

Exactly. Islamabad is teeming with foreigners atm. Reporters from all over as well as troops. And in midst of it all someone thought to attack NZC team?

 

[shujaatraza]

New Zealand acting like the big boys of cricket.

 

[Titan24]

Where is the 'We won't know until the facts come out" vote option?

Refer to my post#8. What facts can justify this when much more important people from multiple countries are currently being hosted.

 

[wajid]

Did you provide NZ with the intel?

I hate conspiracies but won’t put it past our neighbors to do some kind of mischief like this.

 

[globalcitizen]

I think even NZ and Pakistan have not shared anything about security risks, so no one is in a position to speculate on this. We should know more in a day or two.

 

[Saj]

No security institution in Pakistan received any threat against the NZ Cricket Team: Pakistan Interior Minister

Pakistan's interior minister says no threat was received against the New Zealand Cricket team - says that the NZ team's cricket tour was sabotaged through a "conspiracy"

 

[Titan24]

I think even NZ and Pakistan have not shared anything about security risks, so no one is in a position to speculate on this. We should know more in a day or two.

Pak’s interior has clearly stated there was no information of any risk received by Pak agencies and NZ security personnel are yet to share anything with Pak agencies as well.

 

[CrIc_Mystique]

I hate conspiracies but won’t put it past our neighbors to do some kind of mischief like this.

Keep your windows rolled down, santa exists and might just give you his present m8.
Whilst at it, i am genuinely sad for the pak fan and i could sense the excitement on PP for this series, this is a tragic and extreme step by NZC and NZ govt, i hope they share what caused them to take this step.

 

[Snatch]

The paranoia is amazing. I don't know the reasons or answers either but why are people acting as if the very last & almost impossible possibility is that they could be genuine credible & serious threats just learned in the last day or so?

 

[Rana]

A mere conspiracy has ended international cricket at home for us

 

[RehanG]

They should’ve waited for a bit. Canceled today’s match most. Played the series without crowed. There could’ve been so many options and series could’ve gone ahead, if the threat was for Pindi could’ve moved entirely to Lahore for instance.

There is more to what we know, I think PCB should do the same once to one of these teams to make them feel the pain.

 

[SohailQ]

I still cannot comprehend what has happened today, this is a proper slap in the face by NZL and i think this has sent Pakistan cricket back to 2009 with Intl teams coming over.

end of the day Pakistan do not deserve this after hosting successful tours and PSL.

i am really devastated by this.

 

[wajid]

The paranoia is amazing. I don't know the reasons or answers either but why are people acting as if the very last & almost impossible possibility is that they could be genuine credible & serious threats just learned in the last day or so?

Not paranoia, just frustration. Especially when you consider that a large chunk of those who were apparently not safe in Afghanistan are right now feeling quite safe in Islamabad/Pindi area. And it’s been weeks now and we haven’t heard of any threats.

Anyway, feelings are mixed because we would have been much more sorrier had anything happened. But just don’t want to this get swept under the carpet. Public here have a right to know what exactly happened.

 

[Major]

What infuriates me is that, alot of people get affected by the cancellation of this tour.

Pcb is loss due to the money they had invested, the broadcasting rights they had bout and the ground that had been rented.

Hotel staff was living in the hotel just for this nz team so that no one could contact covid

People living on murree road had to face difficulties as when ever the nz team would be coming to the ground, the roads would get blocked. Even the metro bus that runs through it would get shut. People were forced to adjust by opting for careem or uber which is way more expensive. You can on metro for rs.30-40 while on uber you have to pay rs.300+ . The people living on that side of rswalpindi belong from mostly middle and lower class.

Alot of people had to schdule their day accordingly just to adjust this nz team.

Players like hafeez had to comeback before the cpl. Even his cpl team gets affected by this. All other players had to join in the hotel from their leagues etc to take part in this.

Security arrangments at the presidential level has to be arranged. Two firefighters and alot of our reeources that could be needed else where is specially made part of the security entourage for this nz team

And at the end when they pull out without even sharing the reports and concerns this make alot of us angry.

Remember when we toured nz, and the govt had an issue to the point that they were gonna send us back. And we had to put up with all that.

I am not angry at the nz team but its the nz govt who we should be angry with

 

[wajid]

They should’ve waited for a bit. Canceled today’s match most. Played the series without crowed. There could’ve been so many options and series could’ve gone ahead, if the threat was for Pindi could’ve moved entirely to Lahore for instance.

There is more to what we know, I think PCB should do the same once to one of these teams to make them feel the pain.

Had they done that then wouldn’t it had proved them to be rational and sane? I guess they were attempting to achieve something else.

 

[Snatch]

I do understand why Pakistan fans are upset, but you can't blame NZ cricket, or the players and call them cowards. I doubt the players themselves even got a say in it. If Imran was pleading with the NZ PM, it sounds more of a Govt decision.

 

[Snatch]

I am not angry at the nz team but its the nz govt who we should be angry with

Good, people shouldn't be having a go at the team.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Turn up for our game against you NZ in the t20 WC, we coming baby. Can't be touched, can't be stopped!

 

[Ucdkee]

The tables can still turn if we somehow convince england to come and successfully manage to host that your. That would be a perfect slap back on the face of NZC and whoever is involved.

 

[Forward Defensive Push]

Obviously wrong. NZ should have not come in the first place if they thought there was a threat. Abandoning a tour in the middle sends wrong signal to the world - cricketing and non-cricketing. This just reflects poorly on us and we don't deserve it.

 

[Cricfan4eva]

This is now a 2nd series that has been unilaterally cancelled.

Aus tour of SA due to covid and NZ tour of Pak due to security concerns. In both cases, both boards differ on the level of safety, be it covid or life-threat. So it will be interesting to see how ICC plays this.

 

[Mp812]

The problem is we dont know how credible the threat was. I dont think the intelligence will ever be put in the public domain

If there was a credible threat, they were totally correct to cancel the tour. however if the threat was overblown, it was a mistake on their part. White western nations will always play it safe.

Intelligence is never put in public domain in any country ..mainly to safeguard the informer or the agent.

A good indicator of whether threat was credible would be if NZ share the threat info with ECB// England agencies and if they too cancel their tour.....well then maybe there is lot going on behind scenes which will never be revealed and tour getting cancelled was a good decision.

 

[sa88]

Pretty sure if Pakistan had the financial clout of Indian cricket the tour would have gone ahead.
The way to get around this problem of teams cancelling is making a Pakistan series a financially lucrative opportunity. If they refuse to tour, Pakistan doesn’t tour and they lose out.
At present NZ authorities can pull out with little penalty so they chose to pull out.

 

[ChennaiFan]

NZC's decision is right. What we don't know is whether the threat was real or not. Any suggestion that the NZ team was not willing to play is ludicrous. They came all the way and trained in Pakistan. But they had to heed security alerts.

International cricket at home in Pakistan is required to get the next generation interested in taking up the sport. If the security threat was real, it is a failure of the security agencies in Pakistan to ensure safety. Let us just hope there was no threat and the tour is rescheduled to sometime in the near future.

 

[moghul]

Yes. Right decision.

Congratulation to you guys and your countrymen.

 

[mastimasti]

Pretty sure if Pakistan had the financial clout of Indian cricket the tour would have gone ahead.
The way to get around this problem of teams cancelling is making a Pakistan series a financially lucrative opportunity. If they refuse to tour, Pakistan doesn’t tour and they lose out.
At present NZ authorities can pull out with little penalty so they chose to pull out.

NZ odn't have much clout either tbh. Their biggest tours are with Aus and England, India may be third but it'd be a distant third and finally SA/Pak in 4th. Pakistan can refuse to ever entertain the idea of touring NZ again unless the tour is rescheduled...

 

[Aman]

Pretty sure if Pakistan had the financial clout of Indian cricket the tour would have gone ahead.
The way to get around this problem of teams cancelling is making a Pakistan series a financially lucrative opportunity. If they refuse to tour, Pakistan doesn’t tour and they lose out.
At present NZ authorities can pull out with little penalty so they chose to pull out.

If NZ government advised them to leave, they would have had to leave regardless. Doesn't matter if it's India or Aus or how much money is involved. NZC or the players wouldn't have had a choice.

 

[sweep_shot]

Definitely not right decision.

Pakistan and PCB should be compensated.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I never expected this kind of unprofessionalism from a country like New Zealand. To abandon a tour and not even make public the details for their decision.

Its patently obvious that this has geopolitical reasons behind it. Otherwise the NZ Govt. wouldn't have gotten involved. But it also says alot about their character. That they did not even care to consult Pakistani authorities before making this decision.

Now its time for New Zealand to pay up. PCB is entitled to compensation for all the loss they have incurred because of this.

 

[moghul]

Absolutely wrong, a political decision to make some other countries happy who are not happy with Pakistan's position regarding Afghanistan .

I won't be surprised if England do the same. Its US block putting some kind of pressure on Pakistan and India after embarrassment they suffered in Afghanistan trying to pay back to Pakistan .

That's why I wish countries keep sports out of politics.

Huge set back for Pakistan, not just in cricket.

I think people who are excited with New Zealand team decision and are supporting their decision to pull out , are our friends from across the eastern border.

Congratulations to them. Our loss, their gain , if they feel like it.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I really hope PCB threatens to cancel New Zealand tours in the future. Their government should be held accountable for its actions.

 

[Aman]

Can this series be hosted elsewhere?

 

[rockyboy2018]

No bomb planted on grounds during practice drills.

 

[chinaman00]

It’s bad enough that they have cancelled the tour just minutes before the start of the first match under dubious circumstances. But to not share the source and nature of the security threat shows bad faith and a clear attempt to undermine Pakistan cricket.

Those that are oblivious to the geo-strategic dimension need to update themselves. India will do anything to hurt Pakistan cricket. As covered in the Hindustan Times, on the eve of the Zimbabwean team’s tour of Pakistan, the Indian intelligence sent text messages to the Zimbabwe team, that were ultimately passed to Pakistani authorities, that claimed if they went to Pakistan, they won’t come back alive. The intention was to scare them off from touring.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...kistan-tour/story-qk5O1vZy04CcuO1BPYjEoK.html

A new book by the investigative journalist duo Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark in their new book ‘Spy Stories: Inside the Secret World of the RAW and the ISI’ detail how Indian intelligence agencies provided bogus intel to the US in order to dissuade American Secretary of State Collin Powell from visiting Pakistan.

All of this is to say, hold your horses before mindlessly blaming Pakistan. Yes, Pakistan has been indifferent to recent uptick in terror attacks in Waziristan and Balochistan, but there are external hands hellbent on harming Pakistan. Pakistan needs to come out of this defensive shell and assert itself more. Weakness invites aggression and this is what Pakistan is facing.

 

[ChennaiFan]

Absolutely wrong, a political decision to make some other countries happy who are not happy with Pakistan's position regarding Afghanistan .

I won't be surprised if England do the same. Its US block putting some kind of pressure on Pakistan and India after embarrassment they suffered in Afghanistan trying to pay back to Pakistan .

That's why I wish countries keep sports out of politics.

Huge set back for Pakistan, not just in cricket.

I think people who are excited with New Zealand team decision and are supporting their decision to pull out , are our friends from across the eastern border.

Congratulations to them. Our loss, their gain , if they feel like it.

No, absolutely not. It is a silly suggestion. Like many cricket fans in India, I do want to see international cricket in Pakistan. In this particular case, if the threat was real/credible, NZC made the right decision.

 

[reversehook]

Lets think logically for one second. Lets assume there was some last minute information of something nefarious to happen. Why was this not shared? Why must they had to cancel the tour and run for it immediately. Why could it not have been lets cancel first odi, and assess the situation for the further odi's/series. Even if the threat was real, this has been executed very poorly by the NZ govt and board. What a shame... cricket is really headed down a slippery slope.

 

[the Great Khan]

I hate conspiracies but won’t put it past our neighbors to do some kind of mischief like this.

Its entirely in their remit to do this. They were the ones who sponsored the original attack so why would anybody doubtvthis? They killed 140 children in aps and people still call us paranoid..

 

[the Great Khan]

Lets think logically for one second. Lets assume there was some last minute information of something nefarious to happen. Why was this not shared? Why must they had to cancel the tour and run for it immediately. Why could it not have been lets cancel first odi, and assess the situation for the further odi's/series. Even if the threat was real, this has been executed very poorly by the NZ govt and board. What a shame... cricket is really headed down a slippery slope.

Exactly..why wouldn't you share this with the country that is providing you with security. Secondly nz has zero humint on the ground so who would you trust? They were here assessing things for a month..what were they doing eating daal chawal?? I hope there is a serious discussion about this.. we wouldn't have cared much if they refused to come in the first place and rearranged..but an hour before the start..some munshi bhakt somewhere is laughing his head off right now..

 

[the Great Khan]

No, absolutely not. It is a silly suggestion. Like many cricket fans in India, I do want to see international cricket in Pakistan. In this particular case, if the threat was real/credible, NZC made the right decision.

Pakistans ISI the mighty ISI that modi jee fears in his sleep says there was no threat..so who to believe? Nations that have zero intelligence on the ground or the ISI?

 

[reversehook]

Exactly..why wouldn't you share this with the country that is providing you with security. Secondly nz has zero humint on the ground so who would you trust? They were here assessing things for a month..what were they doing eating daal chawal?? I hope there is a serious discussion about this.. we wouldn't have cared much if they refused to come in the first place and rearranged..but an hour before the start..some munshi bhakt somewhere is laughing his head off right now..

plus if someone wanted to attack they would do it away from game nights when the security would by tenfolds, they would rather attempt on off/training days, and even that has been very very very top notch... shamefull icc has been quite on the sidelines as always. pcb should return a couple of favors where it will hurt them the most...

NZ should have handled this better, heck they knew how big of a struggle this has been for pcb and Pak to bring cricket back, even if real for time being you take your meassures, but stall the news to confirm and reassess, but nope, this pull out looks preplanned and was the attack on pcb...

 

[ChennaiFan]

Pakistans ISI the mighty ISI that modi jee fears in his sleep says there was no threat..so who to believe? Nations that have zero intelligence on the ground or the ISI?

I am with you on this. But let us wait for some more time to see if we get any details. I would rather like to see news that says the threat was fake. It will help other teams to travel to Pakistan in the near future.

 

[James]

I would like there to be further information released on this one before making my mind up on whether it was a fair decision or not to cancel the tour.

Currently and above all else, as a fan of cricket, it just feels very frustrating and disappointing that this has happened.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

Think of it as a blessing in disguise. If something ended up happening to the New Zealand team then we would surely lose everything for the next 2-3 decades. As things stand we may have to delay some of the tours for a couple of years until things settled down and things normalise again. It’s a small setback in a larger schem of things.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Depends on the intelligence report they had.

The team had been travelling to the pindi stadium for practise everyday. They had a whole entourage of security with them. The only possible way to attack a bus wass through a rocket launcher. And no moving rocket launchers are not that easy...

Looking at the security aranagments, there was no possible way any idiot would had attack the team bus.

I have been to pindi ground for the srilanka series. They checked us 3 times and even tested our phones to make sure and did not allow us to even carry headphones to the stadium.

It all depends on what intelligence these guys got. If the intelligence was something that was a concern that it was the right decision.

Lets see what more comes out.

Agreed.

I will be angry if this evidence was purely theoretical.

There needs to be some hard-core evidence, it can't just be something that was heard.

 

[iRfaN_LA]

It was an incorrect decision because it was unilateral and no information was shared with Pakistani intelligence. I have no doubt that this is a part of geopolitical game.

 

[Saj]

The problem is that it's not NZC's decision. They are just following guidelines and Government directions.

The real issue is what is the advice the NZ Govt. received and from where did NZ Govt. get the advice from.

 

[the Great Khan]

So I just watched the interior minister press conference.

Some basic details:

4000 police were charged with security
SSG zarrar who are our elite counter terror unit were also amongst those providing security
NZ security experts were in and out of Pakistan for four months before they gave the go ahead
Pakistani intelligence was asked to verify the threT and said there was none.
Finally the PM of NZ said there was no threat to NZ players in the stadium Hotel or in the ground but there was fears when they were leaving. He did not elaborate on what that meant..

 

[Saj]

Can this series be hosted elsewhere?

only if New Zealand wanted to.......

 

[Justcrazy]

ICC is destroying cricket quality.

They are run by just top 4. Unless other Teams are brought in , cricket will lose all its charm.

 

[Saj]

Will NZ share what threat alert they received and from whom?

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

 

[Mp812]

Pakistans ISI the mighty ISI that modi jee fears in his sleep says there was no threat..so who to believe? Nations that have zero intelligence on the ground or the ISI?

Well dont take it the wrong way...but ISI had no knowledge of OBL in Abbottabad till the choppers were ready to depart.

 

[UzmanBeast]

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

Pardon my language but this is all ********.

What right do they have to withhold information? Who do they think they are?

 

[kingusama92]

Pardon my language but this is all ********.

What right do they have to withhold information? Who do they think they are?

This is the first time where I would agree the PCB needs to put its foot down.

NZ has handled this in the most inhumane way possible and essentially treated Pakistani cricketers/staff as beneath them.

 

[adil79]

Absolutely good decision i think. But the situation on ground has been volatile. The security forces have failed in ensuring peace as there have been reports of cylinder blasts, and coordinated attacks in the norther province. We dont want repeat of Sri Lankan attack, do we? Its better late than never Hope the Talibans play positive role and keeps the Afghanistan and Pakistan countries stable.

 

[ahmedzee]

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

I am convinced, it was probably a dream by the security advisor. It is hard to remember a dream after a while.

 

[JaDed]

Absolutely wrong, a political decision to make some other countries happy who are not happy with Pakistan's position regarding Afghanistan .

I won't be surprised if England do the same. Its US block putting some kind of pressure on Pakistan and India after embarrassment they suffered in Afghanistan trying to pay back to Pakistan .

That's why I wish countries keep sports out of politics.

Huge set back for Pakistan, not just in cricket.

I think people who are excited with New Zealand team decision and are supporting their decision to pull out , are our friends from across the eastern border.

Congratulations to them. Our loss, their gain , if they feel like it.

What do we gain?

 

[UzmanBeast]

This is the first time where I would agree the PCB needs to put its foot down.

NZ has handled this in the most inhumane way possible and essentially treated Pakistani cricketers/staff as beneath them.

They are yet to provide this "information".

I think you and I are both seeing the same thing here.

How conveniently, that you receive a threat within the last few hours before the game, but it has been a day and you can't share that "information"?

Baffling. Either they are taking a lot of time to send the data over due to slow internet, or maybe they're trying to figure out how to take a stance to avoid all the criticism that they have received for their rushed and unexplained decision.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

The only thing wrong in this whole cancellation process is the fact that NZ didn't take the PCB or Pakistani government into confidence.
This leaves a bitter taste.

 

[JattMaula]

I would like more information on this whole thing. If PMs of nations are involved then it's seriously above my keyboard level.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan will not boycott next month's Twenty20 World Cup match against New Zealand after the Black Caps abruptly abandoned their tour over security fears, the country's cricket board said Sunday.

The cancellation is a massive setback for Pakistan, which has been trying to revive tours by foreign sides after home internationals were suspended in the aftermath of a 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lankan team.

New Zealand have refused to give details of the security threat that forced them to cancel their tour on Friday just as the first one-day international was due to begin in Rawalpindi.

The decision infuriated the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and sparked calls for a boycott of the New Zealand team.

But PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said no such action is on the cards.

"Right now there is no issue of us not playing NZ," Khan said at a Zoom press conference on Sunday.

"We have a duty to the fans and we have to fulfil that."

He also ruled out players wearing black armbands in protest.

"I think we just need to be very careful in terms of the perspective," he said.

"We don't want to take that route showing any sort of political gesturing and posturing and any sort of visible protest."

Pakistan and New Zealand are due to meet in the Twenty20 World Cup in Sharjah on October 26.

Khan said the abandonment had created "political tensions" in the PCB's relationship with New Zealand Cricket "because the way it was done was disrespectful."

The three-ODI and five-T20 series would have been the Black Caps' first games in Pakistan in 18 years and Khan said the pull-out has exposed the inequalities in world cricket.

"We have done everything for other countries, our players have sacrificed 14 days of quarantine in New Zealand and went to New Zealand after an attack on the mosque," said Khan in reference to the March 2019 attack in Christchurch.

"It's easy to walk out of countries like Pakistan without any reason, without any dialogue and that has to stop," Khan said.

Attempts to convince Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to visit for a replacement series have also fallen through due to logistical hurdles, Khan said.

England and Australia are both currently scheduled to play in Pakistan later this year.

AFP

 

[Bahnz]

The word from David White was that the NZ govt had received intel of a specific and credible threat targeted at the team. That’s a pretty big deal, and at that point, no matter how good the security is, it’s hard to keep going forward. Could you imagine if there had been an attempt to harm the players - not even a successful one - and the news had subsequently leaked that the NZC knew about the threat but decided to proceed with the tour anyway? Every single senior official in the NZC would’ve been rightly sacked.

Throw in the fact that one of the players received a death threat before the tour (albeit not a credible one) and that the advice that NZC had originally received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was that they shouldn’t tour at all and it’s not hard to see why the NZC reacted as swiftly as they did.

I understand the frustration of Pakistani fans, but a speed bump is better than a car crash. Hopefully things will settle down and the political situation in AfghanisTan will become clearer so that NZ will be able to make up the missed games sometime in the next 12 months.

 

[Savak]

The word from David White was that the NZ govt had received intel of a specific and credible threat targeted at the team. That’s a pretty big deal, and at that point, no matter how good the security is, it’s hard to keep going forward. Could you imagine if there had been an attempt to harm the players - not even a successful one - and the news had subsequently leaked that the NZC knew about the threat but decided to proceed with the tour anyway? Every single senior official in the NZC would’ve been rightly sacked.

Throw in the fact that one of the players received a death threat before the tour (albeit not a credible one) and that the advice that NZC had originally received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was that they shouldn’t tour at all and it’s not hard to see why the NZC reacted as swiftly as they did.

I understand the frustration of Pakistani fans, but a speed bump is better than a car crash. Hopefully things will settle down and the political situation in AfghanisTan will become clearer so that NZ will be able to make up the missed games sometime in the next 12 months.

David Whites words hold no credibility if the intelligence is not made public and proved to be credible

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Unfortunately it was the right decision. If they received intelligence that their was going to be an attack, and they deemed it a credible threat, then what other option do they have.

Hopefully they come and tour in the near future.

 

[Balthazar]

If their security agencies are alerting them, it's stupidity not to listen to them and act on it. Anyone else would have done the same thing. Blaming them is silly.

 

[Savak]

Unfortunately it was the right decision. If they received intelligence that their was going to be an attack, and they deemed it a credible threat, then what other option do they have.

Hopefully they come and tour in the near future.

There was no intelligence, if they are not making it public, if they withheld the so called intelligence with utter disregard for Pakistani civilian lives, Pakistani security forces lives, the lives of their fellow Pakistani players then it does not exist period.