Lahore: Zimbabwe arrived in Pakistan early on Tuesday as the first Test playing nation to visit the country for international matches since an attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus six years ago. The visitors’ team buses were surrounded by a fleet of security vans with armed guards as they drove to the team hotel amid tight security. Zimbabwe will play two Twenty20s and three one-day internationals from May 22 to 31 before leaving on June 1.
Zimbabwe umpire Russel Tiffin also accompanied the team to supervise matches along with local umpires after the ICC declined to send its match officials due to security concerns. Around 4,000 policemen and security officials have been deployed for the protection of the Zimbabwe team. Zimbabwe’s cricket chief said his team had decided to tour Pakistan because they too had experienced the cost of isolation as the African team embarked on the first series by a Test playing country since 2009.
Speaking at a press conference alongside captain Elton Chigumbura after arriving overnight in the city of Lahore, Ozias Bvute likened Pakistan’s six years without top-flight cricket at home to the removal of Zimbabwe’s Test status from 2005 to 2011. “We must break the barriers that exist in between us. We are therefore here to firm our position that brotherhood supercedes everything else and cricket unites us,” Bvute said.
