New Zealand cricket team leaves Pakistan after pulling out of tour

By
Web Desk
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Twitter/Mohammad Hafeez
Twitter/Mohammad Hafeez

  • A chartered plane carrying the New Zealand cricket team leaves Islamabad.
  • Kiwis will return to Abu Dhabi before heading back to their country.
  • "Thanks to the security of Pakistan forces to make arrangements to @BLACKCAPS to reach airport safe [and] sound," Mohammad Hafeez says.


ISLAMABAD: A chartered plane carrying the New Zealand cricket team — which called off its Pakistan tour citing “security” issues — has left Islamabad, sources from the aviation department said on Saturday.

Flight RG233 took off from Benazir International Airport at 8:13pm. The Airbus A319 arrived at 6:15pm from Abu Dhabi to pick up the Kiwis.

The international cricket team will return to Abu Dhabi before heading back to their country.

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Sharing a video of Kiwis reaching the airport, Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Hafeez wrote on Twitter: "Thanks to the security of Pakistan forces to make arrangements to @BLACKCAPS to reach airport safe [and] sound."

The veteran cricketer added: "[I] wonder, the same route [and] same security, but no threat today???"

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) board on Friday backed out of the much-awaited tour, citing a security alert from their government. The Pakistani authorities assured the team of complete security but they insisted on calling off the series.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in a statement said NZC informed them that they had decided to postpone the series due to some security concern and said it is their unilateral decision.