More bad news for Pakistan cricket........

well.......

New Zealand's visit Pakistan for a three-match ODI series in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy has been cancelled, according to the PCB. New Zealand originally agreed to the tour, which would have given them a good chance to acclimatise ahead of the main eight-team event.

But New Zealand are one of the teams that have shown reluctance to visit Pakistan for the Champions Trophy due to security concerns. New Zealand Cricket told the PCB it would reassess the security situation before confirming or cancelling the three ODIs, but Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB chief operating officer, said time had all but run out.

"We have not received any positive reply from New Zealand Cricket and heavy rains in Punjab [province] where the three matches were planned did not make the series a possibility," he said.

The plan was to play three games in Multan and Faisalabad from August 24 to 30, which would have been their first visit to Pakistan in five years. The ICC is still trying to convince four countries, including New Zealand, that Pakistan will be a safe venue for the Champions Trophy.

This is so unfortunate that its almost funny. PAK cricket is certainly sinking quite fast.

ICC fails to convince New Zealand on Pakistan

Peter English

August 15, 2008


New Zealand's squad members were involved in an "active" meeting with the ICC task force © Cricket Europe


New Zealand's squad has not softened its view on attending the Champions Trophy despite a detailed security briefing by an ICC task force in Christchurch on Thursday. Safety remains a prime concern and Heath Mills, the executive manager of the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association, will not be recommending the team attends the tournament.

"In all honesty, nothing I heard yesterday has allayed our concerns," Mills said. Twenty-two of New Zealand's contracted players attended the lengthy and animated meeting along with team management and New Zealand Cricket officials. Worried players threw many questions at the out-numbered ICC representatives, who had arrived from a security assessment in Pakistan in an effort to convince the side to travel, but at this stage the official plea is unlikely to work.

"It was an interesting meeting, an active meeting," Mills said. "It went for a while." Similar concerns are expected to be heard when the ICC group arrives to discuss the situation in Australia on Friday. The tournament is also expected to be on the agenda at Friday's New Zealand Cricket board meeting.

David Richardson, the ICC general manager of cricket, is heading the task force, which also includes the communication manager Brian Murgatroyd, Tim May, the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations chief executive, and a representative from the security firm Nicholls Steyn and Associates. Another ICC group, led by the chief executive Haroon Lorgat, will speak to English and South African players and officials in England next week.

Mills was impressed with the detail of the safety outline, but was concerned how it would work in practice in a country battling political instability and acts of terrorism. "There is no question about the effort put in by the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Pakistan government, the security plans are outstanding," he said. "They're the best we've ever seen for cricket.

"But the fact is they are unproven and we don't know if the plans can be delivered. We need to see them demonstrated. The threat in Pakistan is real. There's a lot of political instability and we've seen more reports of activity by the Taliban."

A television station in Pakistan has carried a warning that members of the Taliban have threatened suicide attacks in Lahore and Karachi. The cities are the only two venues being used during the Champions Trophy, which is due to start on September 12, following the cutting of Rawalpindi from the schedule.

New Zealand have experienced the dangers of touring Pakistan after a bomb exploded near the team's Karachi hotel in 2002. They left the country although, unlike Australia, they have been back, playing a one-day series in 2003-04. Australia have not visited Pakistan since Mark Taylor's outfit went there in 1998.

The Karachi bombings outside their hotel in 2002 has scared new Zealand right off, it would seem.

Aussies have NOT been to Pakistan since 1998.

Henry wrote:The Karachi bombings outside their hotel in 2002 has scared new Zealand right off, it would seem.

NZ came in 2003 with a few big players missing and lost 5 nil

Just fking go, stop being such pansies. Why are all the 'coloured' teams going but all the 'white' ones are pussying out?

If they wont go to Pakistan then dont come to my town, apparently people get shot outside the mosque fairly often.

Coloured? What is this? The 1950s?

You tell me, I wasnt around.

The only reason I used it was to avoid typing West Indies, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. Which Ive now had to do anyway. Note it was in inverted commas to avoid offense.

Clamson wrote:You tell me, I wasn't around.

The only reason I used it was to avoid typing West Indies, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. Which I've now had to do anyway. Note it was in inverted commas to avoid offence.

'silly qunt' ...

Don't know whether its a good news for Pak or not,

Ashraf resigns as PCB chairman

SG wrote:Don't know whether its a good news for Pak or not,

Ashraf resigns as PCB chairman

brilliant news...perhaps Malik will be the next to resign

Board u-turns under Ashraf

Mushtaq Ahmed: Soon after coming to power, sacked Mushtaq as assistant coach, citing Justice Qayyum report that pointed to his links with match-fixing. Re-hired him soon after for World Cup 2007

General staff: Sacked 80 PCB staff, and then promptly re-hired them

Doping tribunal: Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were banned after they were found guilty of using steroids, only for the decision to be overturned within a month despite both admitting usage, after an appellate tribunal was set up

Constitution: Promised PCB's constitution would be ready within a month of his appointment. Changed the date three times, and kept on extending it until it was finally ready in January 2008, some 14 months after the original promise

Resignation: Handed in his resignation during World Cup 2007, withdrew it about a week later after it was rejected by the patron

Foreign coach: Said specifically after World Cup 2007 in a press conference that no foreign coach would be appointed for Pakistan. Appointed Geoff Lawson a few months later

Younis Khan: Said, after Younis Khan had turned down the captaincy, that he would not be made captain again. Yet for Pakistan's tour to India in end-2007, personally appointed Younis vice-captain - he became captain when Shoaib Malik got injured.

ICL: Announced no player in the ICL would be allowed to play for Pakistan or in Pakistan domestic cricket. Except Inzamam-ul-Haq, who was allowed to play a one-off Test as farewell and reportedly given a Rs 1 crore golden handshake for it

ICL, mark II: Announced Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Mushtaq would not be given NOCs to play county cricket because of their ICL links. Yet both were given one soon after

ICL, mark III: Promised Mohammad Yousuf that he would play in the IPL, having paid him to come out of his ICL contract. Currently the matter is stuck in legal limbo forcing Yousuf to miss the first season of both leagues

Shoaib Akhtar: The board stated publicly that Shoaib didn't have to pay any fine in order play in the Champions Trophy, only to then say three days later that actually he does

these are just the U TURNS and don't include OTHER controversies!!

So does this mean there will be test cricket involving Pakistan in the next 6 months or not?

DJ_Smerk wrote:So does this mean there will be test cricket involving Pakistan in the next 6 months or not?

well the IND series is now "only" 4 months away.

Fans around the world get happy when a team from their country plays WELL...
Pakistani fans get happy when a team from their country plays....PERIOD. Very sad days

Majid Khan is the new chief of PCB.

PlanetPakistan wrote:Fans around the world get happy when a team from their country plays WELL...
Pakistani fans get happy when a team from their country plays....PERIOD. Very sad days

..agreed aust. players are wussy

Agree thoroughly Horrie. The next time they pose in slouch hats at Gallipoli it should be white feathers and not emu plumes in the hats.

i am still going to Stanland next year

Just do what every normal person would. If you walk down a dark alley in the middle of the night in Camooweal you're looking for trouble.

yep...personally i'd feel less safe in Mt Isa or the Gympie...i'm spending most of my time in Islamanogood...bit like Canberra

but interesting

Well the one good thing about Islamic countries is, apart from suicde bombers, the crime rate is generally pretty low. They have an effective way of discouraging it.