AUCKLAND, Nov 15: New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming says he is prepared to lead the side in the one-day series in Pakistan despite a threat to the team received by New Zealand Cricket.
Four New Zealand players have opted out of the Pakistan tour, to begin next week after the tri-series with India and Australia in India.
Craig McMillan, Scott Styris, Ian Butler and Lou Vincent, plus video analyser Zach Hitchcock, were all in Karachi in May 2002 when a suicide bomber killed 12 French nationals outside their hotel, and were not prepared to return to the country.
Fleming told the New Zealand Herald newspaper in Hyderabad, where New Zealand were preparing to play India to decide who meets Australia in the final of the tri-series, that the challenge for his side was to get over concern about Pakistan and concentrate on the game against India.
On the Pakistan issue, Fleming said the team had a lot of confidence in the assessment of the chief executive of NZC Martin Snedden.
“The record shows he’s got our best interests at heart and we take a lot of confidence from that. He’s very thorough and probably leads the way in terms of quality assessment,” Fleming said.
WELLINGTON: Wellington’s popular Boxing Day cricket Test could be on the skids because of a retaliatory move by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The PCB is almost certain to consider revenge if New Zealand Cricket abort next week’s tour after a threat to the team’s safety.
Pakistan are due in New Zealand on Dec 8 to play two Tests and five one-day internationals and the mere thought of a cancellation makes Cricket Wellington chief executive Ervin McSweeney sick in the gut.
“Certainly if Pakistan decide not to come here in some form of retaliation it would leave a very big hole,” McSweeney said.
“We are very forward in our preparation for Boxing Day, it is only six weeks away so our planning is well advanced.
“I really don’t want to think about what could happen in the worst case scenario.”
NZC chief executive Martin Snedden is collecting information on the security threat.
He was not interested in discussing implications of a cancelled tour, which could see Pakistan doing likewise and/or seeking a hefty compensation claim.
“I’m just concentrating on the current process and I’ll worry about any further concerns after that,” Snedden said. “It won’t assist this process if we are looking forward and speculating about consequences.”
The prospects of NZC securing a replacement touring team at such short notice are slim. India are in Australia, England in Sri Lanka and West Indies in South Africa, leaving Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.—Agencies