NZ’s tour of Pakistan subject to security clearance

Karachi, Aug 19 (PTI): New Zealand will go ahead with its tour of Pakistan subject to a clearance from security consultant Reg Dickason after some Kiwi players expressed concerns about touring the country following Taliban’s takeover of neighbouring Afghanistan.
New Zealand are due to reach Islamabad on September 11 to play three ODIs and five T20 Internationals in Rawalpindi and Lahore until October 3.
However, New Zealand Cricket officials have now commissioned international security consultant and expert, Reg Dickason to visit Pakistan later this week to carry out a thorough security and COVID-19 assessment before advising them whether they should send their team to Pakistan. “Dickason has been a regular visit to Pakistan to carry out security and other cricket related assessments for the International Cricket Council and other boards in recent years so we are confident there is no one better than him to give a compressive report on the security situation in the region following the events in Afghanistan,” an official source in the Pakistan Cricket board, said.
New Zealand are already set to field a depleted team with seven to eight of their leading players, including captain, Kane Williamson, not coming due to their IPL commitments.