Before the Kiwis embark on a five-match Twenty20 International series in Pakistan in April, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is doing everything in its power to guarantee the safety of their players.
It has been reported that in order to settle the dates and sites of the series, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is in talks with the New Zealand Cricket Club. A few Indian Premier League (IPL) games would fall within the window, which runs from April 13 to April 24.
Health Milly, a top NZ Players Association official, and private security expert Reg Dickason will be on the delegation, according to a Times of India story citing a trustworthy source.
Working on high-profile visits to Pakistan in recent years, Dickason has gained experience with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and other cricket boards.
“The delegation is due in early March to visit Lahore and Rawalpindi where the matches will probably be held,” according to the source.
In order to examine and improve security measures for the Blackcaps, the group will be touring the match venues and team hotels and holding talks with government and security representatives. The purpose of this security assessment is to try and prevent the events that happened in 2021, when the white-ball team from New Zealand left Rawalpindi in September without playing a planned match because of security worries.
Nonetheless, since then, New Zealand has visited Pakistan a few times. The Kiwis traveled to Pakistan in the 2022–2023 season to play an ODI and Test series. New Zealand visited the Asian country for five Twenty20 Internationals and as many Twenty20 Internationals (ODIs) during the IPL last year.Pakistan traveled to New Zealand last month to play a five-match Twenty20 International series, which the hosts won 4-1. Before the T20 World Cup in June, both countries will have an opportunity to finalize their preparations during the forthcoming T20I series in Pakistan.
