New Zealand’s captain, Kane Williamson expressed disappointment after the Black Caps canceled their visit to Pakistan in September. New Zealand opted to cancel the series before the 1st ODI at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium owing to “security concerns.” The PCB secured a chartered plane for the Kiwis to travel home the next day.
Following that, England dropped out of their bilateral series in Pakistan. Ramiz Raja, the freshly appointed head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and the whole Pakistan cricket community were heartbroken. Williamson, who did not appear in the series, described the occurrence as “a real shame.”
It was a real shame that it wasn’t able to go ahead: Williamson
He is, therefore, anticipating forwarding more to New Zealand’s match versus Pakistan in the Super 12 of the 2021 T20 World Cup. The match is set to begin on Tuesday, October 26 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
“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 praised Pakistan for placing their best effort forward with their game versus India on Sunday in Dubai. Furthermore, considering the incident last month, he stated that New Zealand and Pakistan had excellent relations.
“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 enter the Super 12 tournament after dropping both of their warm-up games versus Australia and England.
Also read: Winning Against IND Is Absolutely Crucial For PAK: Shoaib Akhtar
