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| November 18, 2003 | Tuesday | Ramazan 22, 1424 |
Kiwis want tour to be rescheduled : Fleming ruled out of Pakistan trip
LAHORE, Nov 17: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has accepted a request from New Zealand to delay their five-match One-Day Internationals series by a week to avoid playing during the holy month of Ramazan.
“At the moment, the PCB can only confirm that it has agreed to reschedule New Zealand’s tour to Pakistan. We are in the process of completing the series details which we hope to finalize by Tuesday. The PCB will make no further comment on the issue before Tuesday evening” a PCB press release said.
The Black Caps were due to arrive on Nov 20 to play five ODIs bewteen Nov 22-Dec 1 in Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore.
The visit became doubtful after four players - Craig McMillan, Scott Styris, Lou Vincent and Ian Butler - decided not to tour citing securing fears and Kiwis cricket officials received a threatening letter advising them not to undertake the visit during the holy month of Ramazan.
Reuters adds:
AUCKLAND: New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has ruled himself out of the proposed tour of Pakistan through injury and will return home for treatment to an abdominal strain, the New Zealand Herald reported on Monday.
The injury ruled him out of what turned out to be New Zealand’s final match in the tri-series with hosts India and Australia. India beat New Zealand by 145 runs and will meet Australia in the final on Tuesday.
Fleming joins Craig McMillan, Ian Butler, Scott Styris and Lou Vincent in not travelling on to Pakistan and while New Zealand have named four replacements, a final decision on the tour is not expected from New Zealand Cricket until Tuesday.
The tour was arranged to compensate Pakistan for the abandoned part of New Zealand’s tour in May 2000 after a bomb blast outside the team’s Karachi hotel but the touring side have received an e-mail threat from unknown sources.
Should the trip not proceed, Pakistan have said they would not tour New Zealand in December and January in retaliation.
Chris Cairns will lead New Zealand in Pakistan in the absence of Fleming in five one-day internationals. The first match is in Faisalabad on Saturday.
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