Kane Williamson speaks up on New Zealand abandoning their tour of Pakistan
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said that he was disappointed after the Black Caps pulled out from their tour of Pakistan back in September. Before the start of the first ODI at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, the Black CapsKiwis decided not to go ahead with the series due to “security threats”. The following day, the PCB arranged a chartered flight for the Kiwis, who returned home.
Thereafter, England also opted out of their bilateral series in Pakistan. Ramiz Raja, the newly-appointed PCB chairman, and the entire Pakistan cricket fraternity were highly dejected. Williamson, who wasn’t a part of the series, called the incident “a real shame”.
However, he is also looking forward to New Zealand’s clash against Pakistan in the Super 12 of the T20 World Cup. The game is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, October 26 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
I suppose the focus now is here at the T20 World Cup, says Kane Williamson
“It was a really disappointing situation. I know the team that was there were very much looking forward to the occasion and playing cricket over in Pakistan, and it was a real shame that it wasn’t able to go ahead,” Williamson was quoted as saying in a press conference.
He also lauded Pakistan for putting their best foot forward in the game against India on Sunday in Dubai. Moreover, he said that New Zealand and Pakistan share healthy relations despite the occurrence last month.
“Having said that, I suppose the focus now is here at the T20 World Cup, and no doubt after last night’s performance, Pakistan have some momentum and are feeling pretty good about their cricket,” he stated.
“But there are also a lot of good relations within the two teams. Over the years they’ve played a lot against each other, and a number of players have played with each other, as well. I’m sure it’ll be played in the right spirit, but no doubt Pakistan will be well supported, as they always are here in the UAE,” Williamson added.
The Kiwis will be going into the Super 12 game after losing both their warm-up fixtures against England and Australia.
