Third bomb must cast doubts over future Asian contact

New Zealand's cricketers were on the last Singapore Airlines flight out of Karachi when abandoning their tour of Pakistan after a bomb blast outside their hotel yesterday.

Singapore Airlines announced that they were suspending flights to Karachi until further notice following the bomb blast which killed 11 French people in a bus outside the Pearl Continental Hotel in Karachi where both the New Zealand and Pakistan teams were staying before the scheduled start of their second Test yesterday.

New Zealand Cricket immediately called the team home, an act that has been supported by the International Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board.

The New Zealand team and accompanying media representatives were all on the last flight out and are now in Singapore before their flight home tomorrow morning to Auckland.

Yesterday's events, and the continuing tension in the region, could mean it is a long time before New Zealand ventures back to Pakistan.

This was the third bombing when New Zealand teams have been in the vicinity and more than a few would reason that the odds of serious consequences for New Zealanders in future can only be shortening.

New Zealand had offered to return to Pakistan for a tri-series with Pakistan and Australia in August this year as preparation for its defence of the ICC Champions Trophy. That now seems improbable and there may be a question mark hanging over the Champions tournament itself, which is to be staged in Sri Lanka in September.

New Zealand's next scheduled full tour of the subcontinent is to Sri Lanka in May 2003, and as that has been the venue for two of the bomb blasts it is going to have to be very seriously considered.

New Zealand are then due to tour India in October 2003 and host Pakistan in December 2003. Unless other arrangements can be made for the completion of the abandoned match from yesterday it could be that four Tests may be played against Pakistan on that tour, the first match being the ICC Test Championship decider from this year's series.

However, given the prospect of a significant change in playing personnel, moreso for Pakistan than New Zealand, the Pakistan authorities are almost certain to press for an earlier date for the match to be played.