Pakistan team greeted with Maori ‘Haka’ dance in Dunedin

The Pakistan cricket team received a warm Maori welcome upon its arrival in Dunedin – the venue for the third one-day international against New Zealand on January 13 (Saturday).

The cricketers were pleasantly surprised when the Maori – the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand – lined up at the Dunedin International Airport to welcome them with the traditional ‘Haka’ dance.

The Green Shirts were amused at the traditional welcome.

Some started filming the performance.

Hasan Ali was clearly a favourite.

He even posed for a photo with a Maori musician.

The Haka – a traditional war dance in Maori culture – is widely considered one of the most powerful war dance performances in the world. It is a posture dance performed with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet, with rhythmic loud chants. The dance used to be performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess.

The New Zealand rugby team, known as the ‘All Blacks’, famously perform the Haka before their matches.