Women's ODI likely to go ahead despite security threat to New Zealand team

Training cancelled at Grace Road after warning of bomb at NZ hotel

The third ODI of the series between England and New Zealand looks set to go ahead in Leicester despite a security threat made against the New Zealand team.

ESPNcricinfo understands that a member of the New Zealand team management was contacted and told that a bomb would be placed at the team hotel. It is understood they were also warned of an attempt to place a bomb on their plane when they return to New Zealand.

As a result, the team went into lockdown on Monday. Training was cancelled and the police and counter-terrorism agencies were called in. While it looked for a few hours as if the match would be called off, it has subsequently been decided that the threats were “not credible”.

Some players are still understood to be apprehensive, however, so it remains possible the game could be called off.

There may be some raised eyebrows at the news from Pakistan, in particular. England and New Zealand have both called off tours to Pakistan in recent days, with NZC citing a specific security threat, and the ECB conceding that “concerns about travelling to the region” were a factor in their withdrawal on player welfare grounds. The PCB will, no doubt, be asking why this threat in Leicester was not deemed credible but the one in Pakistan was.

ESPNcricinfo understands that the British High Commission and the security consultants (ESI Risk) used by the ECB and NZC both considered the security protocols put in place ahead of the trip to Pakistan to be satisfactory.