‘Obviously, a real shame’; Kane Williamson stresses over New Zealand’s abrupt withdrawal

New Zealand cricket captain Kane Williamson stressing over team’s last-minute withdrawal said he hopes that Pakistan would not have a lasting effect on the sport—terming it ‘a real shame’.

Although Williamson did not participate in the series and leading the Hyderabad Sunrisers in the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL), he still has been following developments.

While giving an interview to a website, the Kiwis captain said, “I don’t know the details of yesterday. It was a sudden call”.

“But obviously, it was a real shame,” he stressed.

He further added that cricket in Pakistan is an amazing thing and it is well supported.

“There is so much enthusiasm there. I think these people will be frustrated because they didn’t start and participate in the entire series. But I’m not sure about the details, because I’m participating in the IPL in Dubai. In the next few days, I’ll find out more about it,” Williamson said.

“Of course I hope not. You want to play in all countries. This is an international competition, and the whole world is passionate about it, especially in Pakistan. It’s really exciting to see this series back there, I know our team is looking forward to it. Player safety is the most important thing. When you hear the message from the government, it must be the top priority for the players,” Williamson said.

Kane further added, “They are obviously over there, ready to go to the ground. This is a sudden occurrence. I certainly hope that it will not have a lasting impact, because it is a special place for cricket, and seeing cricket return to Pakistan and A lot of progress has been made to play safely there. We have seen this happen many times, so hope that there will be more cricket there”.

As per details, a few minutes before the first One Day Internationals (ODI) on Friday, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) decided to abandon the limited tour after receiving a security alert from the their government.

NZC stated that the safety of players is the most important, and many people believe that its decision may affect international teams that intend to travel to Pakistan in the future.

It is pertinent to mention here that this is the third time the International Touring Team has left Pakistan, worrying about its safety.

In 2002, a bomb exploded outside the Blackcaps team hotel. The players were not injured, but the explosion killed at least 12—forcing the team to leave the country immediately.

In 2009, the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in Lahore while heading to the Gaddafi Stadium to participate in the third day of the second test. Following the attack six members of Sri Lanka team sustained injuries while six policemen and two civilians were killed.

For a decade, international teams have refused to travel to Pakistan, forcing the country’s cricket team to host a bilateral series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

However, in the past few years, international teams including South Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have all toured Pakistan, and even the Pakistan Premier League (PPL) was conducted domestically with the participation of overseas players.