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Cricket New Zealand (NZC) on Tuesday gave go-ahead to its men’s cricket team’s tour to Pakistan in September-October.
Stuff.co.nz reports the endorsement came after Reg Dickason, NZC’s long-time independent security consultant evaluated the security arrangements in Pakistan during a recent visit.
The decision will pave the way for a second-string New Zealand cricket team’s arrival in Islamabad on September 11. The 24-day long tour will include three ODIs and five T20is in Rawalpindi and Lahore respectively between September 17 and October 3.
The Kiwis are currently in Bangladesh for a five-match T20i series that starts on September 1 and concludes on September 10.
Unfortunately, no T20 World Cup-bound player is in the squad for the current T20 series. Most New Zealand players, including captain Kane Williamson, are set to feature in the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
A COVID-19 outbreak that infected over a dozen players had thrown off the tournament that has been rescheduled from September 17 in the UAE.
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The new captain
In Williamson’s absence, seasoned wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Latham will lead the Black Caps on Bangladesh and Pakistan tours. While speaking to media in a virtual, pre-series news conference in Dhaka, Latham said players had full trust in the board’s processes.
“Someone like Reg, he’s been around a long time, and he’s worked with New Zealand Cricket for a long time,” Latham said as quoted by Stuff.
“We here have full trust in what he does for New Zealand Cricket and the processes and regulations that they put in place.”
While asked about touring Pakistan, the stand-in captain said that his team is currently focusing on the series against Bangladesh, in which square turners will pose an explicit challenge to his inexperienced side.
Latham said that the focus will turn to Pakistan after the Bangladesh series.
About security
Meanwhile, New Zealand Players Association’s Chief Heath Mills told Stuff.co.nz that Dickason who is currently in Pakistan will stay there with the team security assessment throughout the tour.
“We have a comprehensive security check process with New Zealand Cricket, and we’ve had that same process in place for a significant number of years now.
“The tour has always been on, but we just completed this process for Pakistan in the past few days like we have done for Bangladesh before that and many tours over the last few years.
“We’re comfortable with what we’ve heard back from Reg and that all the various aspects that we would expect to see in place are going to be, and we’re supportive of the tour continuing.”
The upcoming tour to Pakistan will be New Zealand’s first in 18 years. They haven’t returned to the country since they last played an ODI series in Pakistan in 2003.
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