New Zealand’s Pakistan Tour Subjected To Security Clearance After Taliban’s Afghanistan Takeover
Aug 20, 2021 at 1:19 PM
New Zealand will go ahead with its tour of Pakistan subjected to clearance from security consultant Reg Dickason after some Kiwi players expressed concerns about touring the country following the militant group Taliban’s takeover of neighbouring Afghanistan.
New Zealand is due to reach Islamabad on September 11 to play three ODIs and five T20 Internationals in Rawalpindi and Lahore until October 3.
New Zealand Appointed International Security Consultant And Expert Reg Dickason To Visit Pakistan To Advise Whether Tour Will Go Ahead After Assessing Security
However, New Zealand Cricket officials have now commissioned an international security consultant and expert, Reg Dickason to visit Pakistan later this week to carry out thorough security and COVID-19 assessment before advising them whether they should send their team to Pakistan.
“Dickason has been a regular visit to Pakistan to carry out security and other cricket related assessments for the International Cricket Council and other boards in recent years so we are confident there is no one better than him to give a compressive report on the security situation in the region following the events in Afghanistan,” an official source in the Pakistan Cricket Board, said.
New Zealand is already set to field a depleted team with seven to eight of their leading players, including the captain, Kane Williamson, not coming due to their IPL commitments.
Kane Williamson and senior players like Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Siefert, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchel Santner have skipped the tour because of their commitments in the T20 event, while others like Tim Southee and Devon Conway are also unavailable for the Pakistan tour.
Tom Latham To Lead New Zealand In The Limited Overs Pakistan Tour In Several Cricketers Absence For IPL Commitments
New Zealand Cricket said on Wednesday that the players would have the right to withdraw from the tour if they felt uneasy about touring Pakistan even if the tour went ahead on the advice of Reg Dickason and other assessments.
New Zealand will be captained by senior batsman Tom Latham during the tour, which will be their first to the country since 2003. New Zealand cricket also has sent one of their officials and a security consultant in Bangladesh for a reconnaissance visit as their team first visits Bangladesh and then flies to Pakistan. New Zealand takes on Bangladesh in five T20Is in September, followed by three ODIs and five T20Is in Pakistan.
New Zealand has also named 15 member squad for the forthcoming T20 World Cup under the leadership of Kane Williamson. Ross Taylor, the veteran Kiwi batsman, and all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme are the major exclusions from the squad. New Zealand last toured Pakistan in November 2003 when they played five ODIs.
New Zealand T20 World Cup squad: Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne (injury cover).