NZ Cricket calls teams home from India and Pakistan tours

New Zealand Cricket is calling the CLEAR Black Caps home from their elongated stopover in Singapore, en route to Pakistan and pulling it's A team out of India.

The Black Caps were to start a three One-Day International and three Test-match tour of Pakistan at the weekend. The team had been put on a 48-hour hold while the situation which broke out yesterday settled down.

The A team yesterday qualified for the semi-finals of the Indian one-day pre-season tournament they are playing in.

The withdrawal of the teams is in response to the terrorist activity in the United States.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden announced today: "The safety of the players is our only consideration and, given the advice we have received from the Department of Foreign Affairs, it is obvious that we should bring the Black Caps home.

"We have advised the Pakistan Cricket Board of our decision and, with the PCB, we will re-visit the possibility of some cricket during October, should we be satisfied that the situation has stabilised," Snedden said.

"We are perhaps being over-cautious in respect of the 'A' team and acknowledge that India has not been implicated as an 'at risk' nation however we don't want to risk the possibility of the team being caught up in anything that might eventuate," Snedden said.

Families of players in both teams have been advised of the decision.

"As one would expect the families were very relieved and welcomed the decision.

This has been a difficult time for the families and New Zealand Cricket has worked hard to ensure they have been kept fully informed of developments and to reassure them that the continuing safety of the two teams is paramount in all decision-making," he said.