A police officer stands guard outside the Pindi Cricket Stadium following canceling of 1st one day international cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand, in Rawalpindi. Photo / AP
A police officer stands guard outside the Pindi Cricket Stadium following canceling of 1st one day international cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand, in Rawalpindi. Photo / AP
The Pakistan government has accused an unnamed individual in India of sending threatening emails that caused New Zealand to abandon its cricket tour in the country.
New Zealand Cricket scrapped the Black Caps tour to Pakistan moments before the start of the first one-day international in Rawalpindi last Friday, citinga specific threat to the team.
On Sunday, New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said NZC and the Black Caps had been very much looking forward to the Pakistan series but were faced with no option but to abandon the tour after receiving, on Friday, advice from the New Zealand government of a specific, credible threat.
Pakistan information minister Fawad Chaudhry now claims the threat was an email via India, however the accusations don't match with New Zealand Cricket's version of events.
Chaudhry claimed that the Black Caps received threatening emails before it arrived in Pakistan on September 11, including an email sent to the wife of a Martin Guptill in which the opening batsman received a death threat.
"The email was sent from an associated device in India using VPN, showing IP address location of Singapore," Chaudhry said overnight.
Chaudhry said Pakistan will seek help from the Interpol to probe the matter.
"We believe this is a campaign against international cricket," Chaudhry said.
Pakistan paramilitary troops stand guard outside the Pindi Cricket Stadium following canceling of 1st one day international cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand, in Rawalpindi. Photo / AP
White said on Sunday several players received emails on the eve of the tour that were investigated and were deemed as hoaxes. According to New Zealand Cricket, the threat that led to calling off the tour was sent before the first game, not on the eve of the tour.
White said he was grateful to the Pakistan Cricket Board for helping organise the safe departure of the New Zealand team and would work through any possible compensation over the next few weeks and months.
"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."
The Black Caps 24-strong touring squad touched down in Auckland from Dubai yesterday and will soon enter the mandatory 14 days in MIQ.
The rest of the touring party will remain in the UAE and join up with the Black Caps T20 World Cup squad, with their first match on October 27.
Speculation that British High Commission was involved in PakvsNZ tour being called off are untrue; this was a decision for the New Zealand authorities & taken independently. I recognise that this is a sad day for cricket fans in 🇵🇰 & around 🌍 who were looking fwd to the series
The England and Wales Cricket Board followed New Zealand on Tuesday by cancelling both its men's and women's cricket tours to Pakistan next month.
The British High Commissioner in Pakistan wrote on Twitter that he had not advised against the tour on security grounds and that the ECB took the decision on its own.
"The British High Commission supported the tour; did not advise against it on security grounds; and our travel advice for Pakistan has not changed," Christian Turner said. "This was a decision made by the ECB, which is independent of the British government based on concerns for players welfare."
England is scheduled to tour Pakistan for test and limited-overs matches late in 2022 and Turner said he "will redouble my efforts in advance of England's Autumn 2022 tour."
