The abrupt decision by the Black Caps to suspend a much-anticipated tour has fanned conspiracies. But Islamabad will do better by ensuring future home games do not go the same route.
It felt like déjà vu Friday afternoon when New Zealand dropped a bombshell by deciding to abort its cricket tour of Pakistan even before the first ball was bowled.
In the summer of 2002, New Zealand abruptly flew out of Pakistan after a bomb blast left several dead near the hotel where the visiting team was staying in Karachi.
It took the Black Caps more than 18 years to return to Pakistan. However, this time there was no untoward incident but an undisclosed security threat, which was enough for them to cancel the tour.
It was a shockingly sad end to a tour that had raised so much hope in this cricket-mad but cricket-starved nation.
The sad part is that Pakistan’s players and tens of millions of fans were eagerly looking forward to a rare series against New Zealand, currently a top-flight team, on home soil.
More worryingly, New Zealand’s unilateral decision to cancel the series just hours before the start of the opening game in Rawalpindi has dealt a lethal blow to a Pakistani campaign that is aimed at bringing back international cricket to the country.
“It’s really disappointing,” Zaheer Abbas, the former Pakistan Test captain, told TRT World.
“(New Zealand’s) sudden withdrawal came as a huge surprise for all of us. We don’t know the exact nature of the threat but it’s a blow for Pakistan cricket,” added Zaheer, a former President of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
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