New Zealand to send security delegation to Pakistan ahead of 5-match T20I series: Reports
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) will send a security delegation to Pakistan ahead of their five-match T20I series in April, according to reports.
The Pakistan vs New Zealand series is likely to be played in Lahore and Rawalpindi, and is being seen as part of preparations for the T20 World Cup, which will be held in June in the West Indies and the USA.
News agency PTI quoted a reliable source close to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as confirming that the security delegation would include private security expert Reg Dickason and a senior official of the New Zealand players' association, Heath Mills.
Dickason has been the regular security consultant for the ICC and other cricket boards when top sides have visited Pakistan in recent years, the report added.
“The delegation is due in early March to visit Lahore and Rawalpindi where the matches will probably be held,” the source was quoted as saying in the report.
The report further stated that the security delegation would visit the match venues and team hotels. In addition, they will also have meetings with Pakistan’s government and security officials as part of their duty to oversee security arrangements for the New Zealand team.
It may be recalled that, in September 2021, the New Zealand white-ball team returned home from Rawalpindi without playing a match owing to a security threat. The decision to abandon the tour with immediate effect was taken by the New Zealand government, which viewed the security issue as a serious threat to the national cricket team.
The Kiwis faced a lot of backlash from the PCB as well as Pakistan fans over the decision. Subsequently, the Kiwis returned to Pakistan in 2022-23 for a Test and ODI series. They also took part in another white-ball series.
New Zealand’s upcoming visit to Pakistan is not part of the ICC FTP. It’s a return tour as Pakistan played five T20Is in New Zealand in January this year.
During the 2022-23 season, Pakistan hosted England and New Zealand twice and Australia once.
New Zealand vs Pakistan T20I record
New Zealand and Pakistan have met each other in the T20I format 39 times, with the Kiwis winning 17 matches and the Men in Green emerging triumphant in 21 games. There have been no tied encounters between the two teams, while one T20I did not produce a result.
New Zealand hammered Pakistan 4-1 during the five-match series played at home in January. The hosts won the first four T20Is before Pakistan prevented a whitewash by clinching the fifth match.