NPR

Biffer wrote: ↑Wed Sep 15, 2021 4:25 pm Good win for Scotland, beat Zimbabwe by 7 runs.

Scotland 141/6 Berrington 82 n.o.
Zimbabwe 134/9

inactionman wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 7:32 am Michal Holding retiring from commentary

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/ ... ommentator

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 7:56 am

inactionman wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 7:32 am Michal Holding retiring from commentary

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/ ... ommentator

Booo. Whispering Death has such a distinctive voice like Cozier had. Not sure why age should be a thing: Benaud went on until 127.

Ardern feared Blackcaps 'would be attacked outside stadium'

AuthorNZ Herald, Publish DateSat, 18 Sep 2021, 9:44AM

Blackcaps tour of Pakistan abandoned after security threat

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern feared the Blackcaps would be attacked once they arrived at the Pindi Stadium in Rawalpindi for the first one-day international against Pakistan.

A Pakistan government official says the claim was made by Ardern in a conversation with Pakistan PM and cricket great Imran Khan.

Neither Ardern's office, nor New Zealand Cricket have released any detail about the nature of the threat that saw the tour abandoned last night - minutes before the first ball was to be bowled.

The Blackcaps haven't played in Pakistan since 2003 and abandoned their tour the year before following an explosion outside the team hotel in Karachi.

International cricket only returned to Pakistan in 2019 - more than a decade after the visiting Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in Lahore.

The attack left seven people dead and several players injured.

Reaction to New Zealand's decision to cancel the tour has been swift, with fans and current and former players heavily criticising the move.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad overnight, Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed claimed Ardern told Khan the Blackcaps could be attacked outside the stadium.

He echoed earlier comments from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that there was no security threat against the Kiwis.

"He [Khan] told her [Ardern] that the law and order situation is the best in our country and we give a guarantee that there is no security problem here, there is no security threat," Ahmed said.

"But the Prime Minister of New Zealand said that the issue is not the threat but we have such information that when the team goes out it can come under some attack, so they have unilaterally cancelled their tour."

Ahmed said the PCB had earlier offered to host the matches - three ODIs in Rawalpindi followed by five Twenty20s in Lahore - without spectators but New Zealand rejected the offer. The stadiums were subsequently allowed to be at 25 per cent capacity, due to Covid-19 restrictions.

According to Ahmed, Blackcaps security advised local authorities of the security threat on Friday. When asked about the nature of the threat, Ahmed claims The New Zealanders "did not have any".

Pakistan had deployed commandos from Pakistan Army's Special Services Group (SSG), soldiers, and 4,000 policemen for the matches in Rawalpindi, Ahmed said.

He also claimed the cancellation was a "conspiracy" but declined to elaborate.

"He [Khan] called [Ardern] and assured her of complete security to the Kiwis. The New Zealand prime minister said there was no issue of a threat.

"She said the [New Zealand] government received intelligence that the team could be attacked when it steps out to go to the stadium.

"It is their decision. We had deployed heavy security for the team. Pakistan is a peace promoter in the world. And this tour was cancelled through a conspiracy. It is their problem and what they decide."

NZC last night said they were preparing to leave Pakistan after arriving on September 11. Following brief isolation, the team had completed three training sessions under heavy police guard.

Sandstorm wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 6:47 amStupid bint

Enzedder wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 8:47 am We don't know the details of the threat and the accuracy of the intelligence. But, once it was received it had to be acted on.

Enzedder wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 8:47 am We don't know the details of the threat and the accuracy of the intelligence. But, once it was received it had to be acted on.

Rinkals wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 12:21 pm

Enzedder wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 8:47 am We don't know the details of the threat and the accuracy of the intelligence. But, once it was received it had to be acted on.

From what I've seen, neither does Ardern. Otherwise, they would have mentioned it as a "credible threat" or some such, rather than refusing to identify it.

I would tend to agree with Sandy that she's just sticking her oar in.

South Africa toured there a few months ago without incident.

Mind you, we are not the super-important World-shaking Nation that New Zealand are.

Obviously.

Gumboot wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 12:28 pm

Rinkals wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 12:21 pm

Enzedder wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 8:47 am We don't know the details of the threat and the accuracy of the intelligence. But, once it was received it had to be acted on.

From what I've seen, neither does Ardern. Otherwise, they would have mentioned it as a "credible threat" or some such, rather than refusing to identify it.

I would tend to agree with Sandy that she's just sticking her oar in.

South Africa toured there a few months ago without incident.

Mind you, we are not the super-important World-shaking Nation that New Zealand are.

Obviously.

Yep, it was done out of spite to prove what a global force we are.

Calculon wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 8:05 am Will the ashes go ahead? England players unhappy, threatening boycott, about quarantine situation and I can't say I blame them.


https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/the- ... nt-1278049

Calculon wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 8:05 am

Calculon wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 8:05 am Will the ashes go ahead? England players unhappy, threatening boycott, about quarantine situation and I can't say I blame them.


https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/the- ... nt-1278049

SaintK wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 11:09 am Well bugger me Kent win a first trophy for 14 years
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/58609102
An astonishing catch on he boundary if you click through

England's men's and women's team withdrawn from Pakistan white-ball tour

England have withdrawn their men's and women's teams from series in Pakistan that were due to take place in October.

The men were set to make their first trip to Pakistan since 2005, while the women had never before played there.

On Friday, New Zealand's men abandoned their tour of Pakistan because of a "specific and credible threat".

An England and Wales Cricket Board statement said: "We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region."

It continued: "We believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments."

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:01 pm

England's men's and women's team withdrawn from Pakistan white-ball tour

England have withdrawn their men's and women's teams from series in Pakistan that were due to take place in October.

The men were set to make their first trip to Pakistan since 2005, while the women had never before played there.

On Friday, New Zealand's men abandoned their tour of Pakistan because of a "specific and credible threat".

An England and Wales Cricket Board statement said: "We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region."

It continued: "We believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments."

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:01 pm

England's men's and women's team withdrawn from Pakistan white-ball tour

England have withdrawn their men's and women's teams from series in Pakistan that were due to take place in October.

The men were set to make their first trip to Pakistan since 2005, while the women had never before played there.

On Friday, New Zealand's men abandoned their tour of Pakistan because of a "specific and credible threat".

An England and Wales Cricket Board statement said: "We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region."

It continued: "We believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments."

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:16 am

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:01 pm

England's men's and women's team withdrawn from Pakistan white-ball tour

England have withdrawn their men's and women's teams from series in Pakistan that were due to take place in October.

The men were set to make their first trip to Pakistan since 2005, while the women had never before played there.

On Friday, New Zealand's men abandoned their tour of Pakistan because of a "specific and credible threat".

An England and Wales Cricket Board statement said: "We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region."

It continued: "We believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments."

Having all ready thanked the Pakis for their efforts to tour here last year by giving them the 2 fingered salute, you'd think the ECB could at least get its excuse straight. Is it safety concerns or is it player welfare?

FalseBayFC wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:21 am

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:16 am

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:01 pm

Having all ready thanked the Pakis for their efforts to tour here last year by giving them the 2 fingered salute, you'd think the ECB could at least get its excuse straight. Is it safety concerns or is it player welfare?

A lot of Pashtuns in Pakistan. I don't think they will quickly forget the drone strikes or the Royal Marines strutting around their tribal lands like they owned the place. I would imagine that tours to anywhere on the sub-continent by teams that have the Union Jack on their flag might be disrupted. That includes Sri Lanka and India. What an effective way to disrupt life without any risk. Just make a threatening phone call and suddenly a tour gets called off.

Calculon wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 8:05 am She's not gonna say the withdrawal was a mistake and the NZ team overreacted. No one here has any idea of the alleged threat so seems pointless commenting on whether the withdrawal was justified orr not.

“We know there are increasing concerns about traveling to the region and believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments,” the ECB statement said.

Bear in mind the entire ‘tour’ was to have lasted four days with just a single day’s quarantine, two back-to-back T20Is and a travel day home. The entire trip would have been shorter than the six days of quarantine that England’s players had to fulfil before the resumption of the IPL in the UAE. And if the tour had gone ahead, it would have (theoretically) removed the England players from the play-off stages of the IPL.

Rinkals wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 6:15 am

Calculon wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 8:05 am She's not gonna say the withdrawal was a mistake and the NZ team overreacted. No one here has any idea of the alleged threat so seems pointless commenting on whether the withdrawal was justified orr not.

https://mannersoncricket.substack.com/p ... F3NWEk_2xo

Maners has a good point.

Surely, if a 'credible threat' exists, then it behoves the NZ Government to share this with the Pakistanis. The fact that they refused to do so raises the suspicion that they were extremely flimsy.

The ECB doesn't come out well in this either.

“We know there are increasing concerns about traveling to the region and believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments,” the ECB statement said.

Bear in mind the entire ‘tour’ was to have lasted four days with just a single day’s quarantine, two back-to-back T20Is and a travel day home. The entire trip would have been shorter than the six days of quarantine that England’s players had to fulfil before the resumption of the IPL in the UAE. And if the tour had gone ahead, it would have (theoretically) removed the England players from the play-off stages of the IPL.

“We're saying ‘share that information, let's work collectively as a cricket family, let’s find a solution’ because at the moment there's an inequality which is ‘one rule for one and another rule for others’ – and that has to stop,” Khan said.

“If there was a threat then surely that threat is also to the civilians of Pakistan. So, are we saying that the lives of the civilians in Pakistan are any less important, or that the threat only applies to sports people?”

“If potential threats can't be discussed at a government-to-government level then we have a real problem in cricket. This is something that needs to be discussed amongst members to ensure, from a very basic courtesy and respect level, this isn’t allowed to happen.

“Embassies and High Commissions change their travel advisories when threat levels increase,” Khan said. Indeed, the British High Commission’s ‘security advisory’ made no change to its threat level.

“There were nine checkpoints to get into the ground. Those checkpoints ensured complete safety of fans before they arrived. Everything was in place from our side and those plans and protocols were given a clean bill of health by the NZ security expert,” Khan said.

Monkey Magic wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 7:15 am

Rinkals wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 6:15 am

Calculon wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 8:05 am She's not gonna say the withdrawal was a mistake and the NZ team overreacted. No one here has any idea of the alleged threat so seems pointless commenting on whether the withdrawal was justified orr not.

https://mannersoncricket.substack.com/p ... F3NWEk_2xo

Maners has a good point.

Surely, if a 'credible threat' exists, then it behoves the NZ Government to share this with the Pakistanis. The fact that they refused to do so raises the suspicion that they were extremely flimsy.

The ECB doesn't come out well in this either.

“We know there are increasing concerns about traveling to the region and believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments,” the ECB statement said.

Bear in mind the entire ‘tour’ was to have lasted four days with just a single day’s quarantine, two back-to-back T20Is and a travel day home. The entire trip would have been shorter than the six days of quarantine that England’s players had to fulfil before the resumption of the IPL in the UAE. And if the tour had gone ahead, it would have (theoretically) removed the England players from the play-off stages of the IPL.

On the first point, I'm only guessing but I can imagine that if they're getting intelligence through 5 eyes, that the details are held pretty close and if removing the team removes the threat then they wouldn't share it in case it compromised whoever sourced it

Calculon wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 7:56 am

Monkey Magic wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 7:15 am

Rinkals wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 6:15 am

https://mannersoncricket.substack.com/p ... F3NWEk_2xo

Maners has a good point.

Surely, if a 'credible threat' exists, then it behoves the NZ Government to share this with the Pakistanis. The fact that they refused to do so raises the suspicion that they were extremely flimsy.

The ECB doesn't come out well in this either.

On the first point, I'm only guessing but I can imagine that if they're getting intelligence through 5 eyes, that the details are held pretty close and if removing the team removes the threat then they wouldn't share it in case it compromised whoever sourced it

Do you have a source for implying the intelligence comes from 5 eyes? I would have thought at least some details of the nature of the threat, beyond " a threat", could be given without compromising any source.

My understanding is that the ECB and new Zealand cricket are sharing the same security consultants, so it seems seems a bit odd to me that the ECB are not citing security reasons for their withdrawal.

Were the New Zealand players actually looking forward to touring Pakistan? I've read that at least one player was very reluctant to be there. If that was a feeling shared with his teammates it is possible any further threat, irrespective of its nature, could have led to the decision to withdraw.

The British Government supported the tour, did not advise against it on security grounds and our travel advice for Pakistan has not changed.

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:16 am

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:01 pm

England's men's and women's team withdrawn from Pakistan white-ball tour

England have withdrawn their men's and women's teams from series in Pakistan that were due to take place in October.

The men were set to make their first trip to Pakistan since 2005, while the women had never before played there.

On Friday, New Zealand's men abandoned their tour of Pakistan because of a "specific and credible threat".

An England and Wales Cricket Board statement said: "We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region."

It continued: "We believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments."

Having all ready thanked the Pakis for their efforts to tour here last year by giving them the 2 fingered salute, you'd think the ECB could at least get its excuse straight. Is it safety concerns or is it player welfare?

Biffer wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:45 am

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:16 am

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:01 pm

Having all ready thanked the Pakis for their efforts to tour here last year by giving them the 2 fingered salute, you'd think the ECB could at least get its excuse straight. Is it safety concerns or is it player welfare?

Nice casual use of a racist epithet there.

Biffer wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:45 am

Torquemada 1420 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:16 am

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:01 pm

Having all ready thanked the Pakis for their efforts to tour here last year by giving them the 2 fingered salute, you'd think the ECB could at least get its excuse straight. Is it safety concerns or is it player welfare?

Nice casual use of a racist epithet there.