Cricket: Vaughan denies reports of Pakistan tour

Daniel Vettori bats against Pakistan when they toured New Zealand last summer. Photo / Duncan Brown

It is not possible for the Black Caps to travel to Pakistan to help with fund raising matches for the flood ravaged country, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Justin Vaughan said today.

Vaughan was responding to a report from Pakistan that New Zealand had offered to play cricket matches in Pakistan to raise funds for flood victims.

"We have received an e-mail from New Zealand Cricket in which they have said they are even willing to play in Pakistan to raise funds," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman Nadeem Sarwar, told the Associated Press overnight.

"It's (the tour) in a very early stage, but we think it's a very good gesture on the part of NZC."

Vaughan told NZPA today that NZC had sent an email to the PCB suggesting that cricket had a part to play in helping alleviate the people's suffering "but certainly it should not be construed that the Blacks Caps would be going to play there".

"At no point did we offer that the Black Caps would be touring as they certainly won't be playing there this year.

Cricket tours of Pakistan were abandoned after the Sri Lanka team's convoy was attacked by gunmen last year.

"But it would be nice to think that in a cricket-loving country such as Pakistan that cricket could play a part in alleviating some of the suffering that is going on there."

Vaughan felt that it would be up to the PCB to organise fund raisers outside of Pakistan.

New Zealand Cricket Players' Association manager Heath Mills said everyone was obviously looking at the tragedy unfolding in Pakistan and it would be great if cricket could help out in some way to raise some funds for the people.

"But at this point in time there is no way anyone can consider putting a cricket team into Pakistan to play.

"There remain significant security concerns over the safety of players and a number of issues identified following the attack on the Sri Lankan players have yet to be resolved."

Moreover, security forces had been diverted to help in the flooded areas "which is what you would expect but, if anything, the security risk will be greater now than at any other time so I don't see the Black Caps going to Pakistan in the short term.

"But if there are ways to help the people of Pakistan, the cricketing community should be doing every thing to help."

The Associated Press also reported that the Zimbabwe Cricket Union has said it is planning to send its national team to Pakistan to raise funds for relief efforts.

"Not only international cricket will be revived in Pakistan with these tours, it will also help us to raise funds for people affected by these floods," Sarwar said.

Pakistan was stripped of its status as co-host for the 2011 World Cup after the ambush on the Sri Lanka cricket team's bus at Lahore in March last year.

Six police officers and a van driver were killed and several Sri Lankan players and officials were injured.

With foreign teams staying away due to security concerns, Pakistan have played in neutral venues, including United Arab Emirates and England.

Last year Pakistan played a one-day series against New Zealand in the UAE and also played its 'home' test series in New Zealand.

The floods that began after exceptionally heavy monsoon rains in late July in the northwest of Pakistan, have since swamped eastern Punjab province and Sindh province in the south.

The deluge has affected about one-fifth of Pakistan's territory making at least six million people homeless and 20 million affected overall.

- NZPA