The chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ramiz Raja, has confirmed that the New Zealand cricket team is ready to play a series in Pakistan. Notably, the Kiwis had earlier called off their limited-overs tour minutes before the start of the ODI series opener in Rawalpindi, citing security concerns.
During his briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) on Thursday, Raja revealed that New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has expressed its willingness to take the tour again.
“The NZ Cricket has expressed its willingness to resend their team to Pakistan, the official decision is expected to be communicated within the next few days. When can we accommodate them? Is a question to which we would be having an answer after getting the full picture from the NZ Board,” said Raja as quoted by The News.
Raja further asserted that he has written a strong-worded letter to International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Greg Barclay, mentioning the international cricket body acted as a mere spectator after what happened with Pakistan’s cricket in the recent past.
“I never have used such words that I used in my letter to the ICC Chairman. I have done that because we believe we were robbed in front of the game’s governing body which was a mere spectator. I am worried about international cricket as it is fast getting the shape of blocks rather than one unit. It is a dangerous trend, and ICC is sitting there as a mere spectator. Cricket should not be subservient to groups and countries having bigger economies or larger interests,” added Raja.