New Zealand's sudden withdrawal from a cricket tour of Pakistan for security reasons has cast fresh doubt on Australia's planned return to the nation after a 23-year absence.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) abandoned the men's ODI series, citing an escalated security threat, on the same day it was due to start in Rawalpindi.
Friday's development shocked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which has worked hard in recent years trying to convince players, national boards and the International Cricket Council that it is safe to tour again.
The PCB has largely been forced to adopt Dubai and Abu Dhabi as its 'home' grounds since 2009, when gunmen attacked a bus carrying Sri Lanka's national side and its then Australian coach Trevor Bayliss in Lahore.
South Africa, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe have toured Pakistan in the past two years without incident, while Test skipper Tim Paine, Usman Khawaja, Shane Watson and George Bailey are among the Australians to have played Twenty20 games in the nation.
Paine's team is slated to tour Pakistan in February-March 2022, marking Australia's first visit since Mark Taylor's remarkable unbeaten 334 on a tour in 1998.
There had been productive talks between Cricket Australia (CA), whose former chief executive Kevin Roberts visited Pakistan in 2019, and the PCB.
But if England follows New Zealand's lead and opts out of its October tour of Pakistan, as is expected to happen this weekend, then it would represent a major blow to the long-awaited trip.
A CA spokesperson said the organisation is monitoring the situation and will "talk with the relevant authorities once more information becomes known".
CA has made it clear throughout recent years that it supports international cricket returning to Pakistan, but expert safety advice will dictate its decision.
The governing body is unlikely to rush to a decision.
However, it is hard to envisage Australia's security intel being substantially different to that of New Zealand.
NZC is yet to reveal the catalyst for its late rethink but Pakistan's government claim the visitors believed there could be an attack outside Rawalpindi Stadium.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed she spoke with Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan on Friday.
"I conveyed our thanks for taking care of the New Zealand cricket team. I know how disappointing it will be for everyone that the game hasn't gone ahead," Ardern said.
"But we totally support the decision that's been made. Player safety has to be paramount."
Pakistan great Shoaib Akhtar was among those fearing the knock-on effect of NZC's decision.
"NZ just killed Pakistan cricket," Akhtar posted on Twitter.
PCB chairman Ramiz Raja was scathing, asking "which world is NZ living in," vowing to take the matter up with the ICC.
England will make a call in the next 24-48 hours as to whether it aborts their men's and women's tours of Pakistan in October.
PCB chief executive Wasim Khan told AAP in 2019 it wasn't sustainable for his organisation to continue hosting cricket in the UAE.
