Prospects Of Pakistan Cricket Ruined After New Zealand, England Cancel Tours

There have been strong calls in Pakistan to boycott New Zealand after the Kiwis pulled out from their cricket tour in the country at the last moment. However, the latest fiasco has seen Pakistan losin

Now, it has come to light that New Zealand took the decision following the threat inputs received from the "Five Eye". New Zealand is part of a five-nation global intelligence network, which also includes the US, the UK, Australia and Canada.

"As is normal in situations like this, it is not possible or responsible to go into detail around the nature of these threats, but they were credible and had to be taken seriously. We support the decision made by NZ Cricket," said New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson.

Since the UK also is part of the "Five Eye", England Cricket Board (ECB) may have taken threats of potential attacks on cricket teams visiting Pakistan seriously.

"We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region," said the ECB.

The fast-happening developments have created a stir in Pakistan. "We're still in shock and disbelief at what has happened," said an official from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Many former cricketers like Shoaib Akhtar, Inzamam Ul Haq and others have said that they were deeply hurt by the cancellation of the cricket series.

Pakistan has received a major setback as many nations now think twice before going to Pakistan. The PCB said it had worked hard to build confidence among other nations about security preparedness in the country, especially after the 2009 attack on Sri Lankan players.

Imran Khan had tried to convince Ardern by saying Pakistan had one of the best intelligence agencies in the world. But the fact remains that the country has still not managed to come out of the  grey list' issued by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog.

New Zealand's decision is certainly going to hurt Pakistan's cricket prospects in the long term. In the short term too, Pakistan is going to suffer millions in losses due to abrupt withdrawals by New Zealand and England and it may not be able to make insurance claims owing to the circumstances under which the cricket tours were cancelled.