“I always felt Pakistan like a home,” says Akcent after NZ tour abandonment

Romanian pop band Akcent extends their love and support for Pakistan in the wake of New Zealand’s sudden and disappointing abandonment of their Pakistan tour under the pretext of security concerns a scant day before the tour officially started.

Akcent, via its official Facebook, shared a clip performing live amid the huge crowd in Pakistan. “I have been to Pakistan many times and I always felt it like a home. I feel safe there and the love I receive from Pakistan is beyond amazing. I will come back even more often. I love my fans! Pakistan Zindabad,” the caption read.

The New Zealand cricket team has called off its tour of Pakistan, minutes before the first match was due to begin in Rawalpindi, citing security concerns, both country’s cricket boards say.

New Zealand’s team was due to take on Pakistan in its first match on Pakistani soil for 18 years on Friday.

The national sport’s board of New Zealand, however, issued a statement saying it did “abandoning” the tour due to a government security alert.

“[F]ollowing an escalation in the New Zealand Government threat levels for Pakistan, and advice from NZC security advisors on the ground, it has been decided the Black Caps will not continue with the tour,” said the statement.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the tour had been cancelled “unilaterally” by NZC despite “foolproof security arrangements” made for the series, which was due to consist of three One Day International matches in Rawalpindi and five T20s in the eastern city of Lahore.

“PCB is willing to continue the scheduled matches,” said a PCB statement. “However, cricket lovers in Pakistan and around the world will be disappointed by this last-minute withdrawal.”

Also Read

Pakistan rule out New Zealand World Cup boycott despite abandoned tour

Pakistan will not boycott next month's Twenty20 World Cup match against New...