The New Zealand cricket team has called off its tour of Pakistan minutes before the first match was due to begin in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, citing security concerns.

New Zealand’s team was due to take on Pakistan in its first match on Pakistani soil for 18 years in Rawalpindi on Friday.

Minutes before the scheduled start of play, however, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) – the sport’s national board in that country – issued a statement saying it was "abandoning" the tour due to a government security alert.