White Ferns lockdown after bomb threats made during England tour

Publish Date
Tuesday, 21 September 2021, 8:42AM
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The White Ferns went into lockdown yesterday following a bomb threat against the team in England, according to a report.

ESPN has reported a member of the team's management was contacted and told a bomb would be placed at the team's hotel and warned of an attempt to bomb their plane home.

The reported threat towards the White Ferns was deemed "not credible" but saw training cancelled yesterday and police and counter-terrorism agencies called in.

The White Ferns remain set to play England in the third ODI.

It comes in the wake of the men's side withdrawing from their tour of Pakistan on Friday. New Zealand Cricket made the call to cancel the tour just minutes before the first ODI in Rawalpindi, following intelligence of a security threat targeting the Black Caps.

The contingent of 34 players and support staff are now in Dubai as they look to return home over the next week.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern would not elaborate on the threats, but said on Sunday they were described as "credible" and "direct and targeted".

"We do support the decision that was ultimately made by NZ Cricket to bring the team home."

"It was a direct threat and it was a credible threat - they made the right decision," Ardern added.

Overnight England Cricket withdrew their men's and women's teams from a limited-over trip to the country next month, citing "increasing concerns" about travelling to the region.

The ECB didn't detail any specific security issues in a statement released after a board meeting over the weekend, instead highlighting "the mental and physical wellbeing of our players and support staff."

"We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region," the ECB said, "and believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted COVID environments."

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission

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