WELLINGTON (AFP)
New Zealand are likely to stage their postponed tour of Pakistan between April 20 and May 18, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Martin Snedden said on Tuesday.

He said the Pakistani authorities were now able to offer the required security guarantees, after the tour was postponed in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the United States. The attacks sparked US retaliation in Afghanistan, which neighbours Pakistan.

The revived tour would go for approval by the NZC board next Wednesday, Snedden said. "I have talked to the players about it and they are not averse to touring Pakistan. They just want me to be satisfied about security issues," he said.

New Zealand are scheduled to play three Tests and three one-day internationals at Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. If it goes ahead, the Pakistan tour would make New Zealand's upcoming weeks even busier.

The Black Caps pay host to England for a series of one-dayers and Tests starting on Friday and ending April 3, after which they head to Sharjah for a limited-overs tournament.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd