'No more tension on it from our end' - Gary Stead on New Zealand's T20 WC fixture against Pakistan

New Zealand national cricket team coach Gary Stead has asserted that there is no tension surrounding the team’s opening game against Pakistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Earlier, New Zealand had toured Pakistan for the white ball series. However, just a few hours before the start of the first ODI, the visitors abandoned the series citing security threats.

The PCB had denied the existence of any such threats and had assured the visiting team about the same. Further, the ECB too withdrew from its men’s and women’s tours to Pakistan in October. The board stated the physical and mental well-being of their players as the reason behind the same.

The Black Caps are now all set to face Pakistan in their opening Group 2 match on October 26 in Sharjah. Gary Stead thus asserted that what happened in Pakistan was sad for both sides. He also added that the team is preparing for the tournament and there is no tension surrounding their fixture against Pakistan.

“I’m not sure if there’s any more tension on it from our perspective. Obviously, what happened in Pakistan was sad for Pakistan cricket, their players, and also our players, who missed out on that opportunity as well. We can’t change what has happened there. All we can do is prepare for the tournament and we face Pakistan first up,” Stead said as reported by TOI.

The main goal is to get to that semi-finals stage: Gary Stead

The Kane Williamson-led side won the inaugural World Test Championship by defeating India in the finals. The team will be raring to make an impact in the T20 World Cup to win their second World title of the year. However, Stead stated that the team’s focus will be on one game at a time.

“I guess our first one is focusing on one game at a time, but the main goal is to get to that semi-finals stage and if you’re there, you’ll know that you’re only two wins away from a title. We’re in a tough pool, I genuinely think there are six to seven teams that could win this tournament and I guess that’s good for world cricket as well,” the coach added.