New Zealand’s tour to Pakistan 2002:
- In 2002, New Zealand were touring Pakistan for 3 ODIs and 2 Test matches.
- The visitors were staying at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Karachi to play the 2nd & last Test match against Pakistan from May 8 to 12.
- Just over 2 hours prior to the start of the Test match at National Stadium Karachi, a blast took place.
- New Zealand abandoned Pakistan’s tour without playing the last Test.
New Zealand’s tour to Pakistan 2021:
- New Zealand returned to Pakistan in September 2021 under foolproof security arrangements after South Africa, Bangladesh, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe successfully toured Pakistan.
- New Zealand was scheduled to play three ODIs at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on September 17, 19, and 21, and then five T20Is at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium from September 25 to October 3.
- Just prior to the start of the 1st ODI at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on September 17, the New Zealand Cricket Board unilaterally decided to postpone the series.
- The New Zealand Cricket Board mentioned “an escalation in the New Zealand Government threat levels for Pakistan” as the cause of the abandonment of Pakistan’s tour but didn’t produce any evidence of the threat.
- The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that Prime Minister Imran Khan also personally spoke to the Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern informing that “no security threat of any kind exists for the visiting team” in Pakistan but all efforts went in vain.
- Saying that “player safety is paramount”, the New Zealand Cricket abandoned their tour of Pakistan without playing at all.
Crazy day it has been! Feel so sorry for the fans and our players. Walking out of the tour by taking a unilateral approach on a security threat is very frustrating. Especially when it’s not shared!! Which world is NZ living in??NZ will hear us at ICC.
— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) September 17, 2021
Huge embarrassment for Pakistan:
- New Zealand toured Pakistan after being fully satisfied with security arrangements and stayed here for almost a week without any untoward incident having been reported.
- The Pakistani government and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) worked relentlessly to ensure the peaceful conduct of the Pakistan-New Zealand bilateral series and ensured full proof security to the visitors.
- While New Zealand’s contingent was staying in Pakistan, not a single complaint, etc of any kind was registered but yet in the last hour, they decided to abandon the tour, leaving Pakistan embarrassed and astonished.
- New Zealand’s action swept away all efforts to bring international cricket back to Pakistan and put the cricket-loving nation back to square one.
- Following New Zealand’s abandonment of the Pakistan tour, other cricketing nations (such as England which has to tour Pakistan in October 2021 for 2 T20Is) might also be reluctant to travel to Pakistan in the future.
Following points for New Zealand to remember:
° 9 Pakistanis were killed in the Christchurch attack.
° Pakistan stood strong with New Zealand.
° Pakistan toured New Zealand in the worst of Covid circumstances regardless of the crude treatment by NZ authorities on that tour.
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) September 17, 2021
° This was just an unverified threat, it could have been discussed.
° Prime Minister Imran Khan personally spoke to his NZ counterpart and assured but it was still refused.
° Pakistan has safely hosted South Africa, Bangladesh, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe & PSL.
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) September 17, 2021
