KEY POINTS:
The International Cricket Council (ICC) taskforce was unable to reassure New Zealand's contracted players it is safe to play in the Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan next month, players' boss Heath Mills said.
The four-man group spoke to the New Zealand squad in Christchurch on Thursday, updating them on the situation in volatile Pakistan.
Mills, the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association executive manager, said nothing the taskforce nor Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson said allayed the players' fears of playing there.
Lawson attended the meeting at the ICC's behest.
The Press newspaper today reported that Mills said the situation in Pakistan was changing daily and had worsened even after the task force had visited the country earlier this week.
The Australian consulate offices in Karachi and Lahore, the two venues where the tournament is being played on September 12-28, has shut down in fear of terrorist bombings.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan updated his board on the situation yesterday and said it was still working through "a process" regarding the visit.
The ICC believes Pakistan is safe for players and points to the smooth running of the Asia Cup, a four-nation event there last month.
Mills said the security plans were impressive on paper and some of the best he had seen.
"But the fact remains they are untested and we have doubts whether Pakistan could deliver on those plans.
"Getting eight teams around to training and games in two centres is a massive logistical exercise and with the current situation there I don't know if the military could handle it."
Mills said Lawson, a former Australian pace bowler, talked about his year living in Pakistan as the coach and generally painted a positive picture.
"Our guys listened patiently and asked some very pertinent questions I thought, but I didn't get the impression that any of them were convinced about the safety of the situation."
The ICC task force met Australian players yesterday and next week heads to England to talk to English and South African players.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's planned three-match one-day series against Pakistan which was to be used as a warmup to the tournament has been scrapped with time having run out to stage it.
- NZPA
