Pakistan express their disappointment

Ramiz Raja, the Pakistan board's chief executive, today expressed his disappointment after four New Zealand players and a team official chose not to tour Pakistan for the scheduled five-match one-day international series next week.

Craig McMillan, Lou Vincent, Scott Styris and Ian Butler all opted out of the tour after the New Zealand board received a threat regarding their safety.

In a statement, Ramiz said that the PCB was "disappointed with this news because it strongly feels that Pakistan is a safe place to play cricket as proven with five Tests and 10 one-day internationals against Bangladesh and South Africa."

He added that they had hoped to host a full strength New Zealand side for the series, and stressed that even though they respected the decision, they would make their feelings known to the New Zealand board.