New Zealand coach Gary Stead has played down suggestions of any tension around their Twenty20 World Cup

New Zealand coach Gary Stead has played down suggestions of any tension around their Twenty20 World Cup opener against Pakistan after the Black Caps recently abandoned their limited-overs tour of the South Asian country citing a security alert.

New Zealand’s withdrawal dealt a massive blow to Pakistan’s hopes of staging regular international cricket, with England subsequently calling off their men’s and women’s tours.

New Zealand face former champions Pakistan in their opening Group 2 match on Oct. 26 in Sharjah and Stead said his side were focused only on that.

“I’m not sure if there’s any more tension on it from our perspective,” he told reporters on Tuesday.