Pakistan-New Zealand Test to go ahead despite earthquake

Both sides arrive in Christchurch today and will have training sessions tomorrow

The first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan will go ahead as scheduled at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, despite a 7.8 magnitude earthquake which hit the city on Sunday.

Pakistan squad, who were in Nelson at the time of the earthquake, was also evacuated from their hotel yesterday as a safety measure due to reports of aftershocks.

"It was pretty scary, it really was," Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur told TVNZ. "We were on the seventh floor of the hotel and it was pretty scary."

The South African added: "The boys all raced down stairs and most of the guys slept in the team room last night. They were a bit scared to go back up to their rooms."



However, both sides arrived in Christchurch on Monday and will have training sessions on Tuesday.

“Preparations for the Test are going ahead, but we are continuing to monitor the situation,” said a New Zealand Cricket spokesperson. “It’s just a case of staying in touch with authorities.”

Nevertheless, the area is prone to aftershocks, with a 6.3 magnitude earthquake felt around 1.30pm local time on Monday.

Pakistan Team Manager Wasim Bari said that the squad members were a bit shaken up after yesterday’s experience.



“The earthquake was a pretty strong one,” he said. “We had just finished watching the India-England match and the doors and windows were going from one side to another as if they were made of paper. There was some trauma as well for the boys. Back home, the families had felt disturbed.”

Hagley Oval had become a Test venue after the previous Christchurch ground, Lancaster Park, was devastated in a 2011 earthquake.

Mickey Arthur was quoted by Reuters

This article initially originally appeared on ESPNCricinfo