PCB announces schedule for New Zealand’s dual tours of Pakistan
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced the schedule of New Zealand’s dual tours of Pakistan comprising two Tests, eight One Day Internationals (ODIs) and five T20s.
The first leg of the tour will begin on Dec 27 and continue till Jan 15 while the second round of the tour will be held from April 13 to May 7.
The New Zealand cricket team had in September last year backed out of its tour of Pakistan over security concerns minutes before the first match was scheduled to start at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
According to a renewed schedule issued by the PCB, the Kiwis will play Tests in Karachi (December 27-31) and Multan (January 4-8) during the first leg of the tour.
The visitors will then return to Karachi for three ODI matches on Jan 11, Jan 13 and Jan 15.
Schedule
First leg:
- Dec 27-31 — 1st Test, Karachi
- Jan 4-8 — 2nd Test, Multan
- Jan 11 — 1st ODI, Karachi
- Jan 13 — 2nd ODI, Karachi
- Jan 15 — 3rd ODI, Karachi
Second leg:
- Apr 13 — 1st T20I, Karachi
- Apr 15 — 2nd T20I, Karachi
- Apr 16 — 3rd T20I, Karachi
- Apr 19 — 4th T20I, Karachi
- Apr 23 — 5th T20I, Lahore
- Apr 26 — 1st ODI, Lahore
- Apr 28 — 2nd ODI, Lahore
- May 1 — 3rd ODI, Rawalpindi
- May 4 — 4th ODI, Rawalpindi
- May 7 — 5th ODI, Rawalpindi
The Karachi Test will be New Zealand’s first in the metropolitan city since October 1990 and also the first in Pakistan since the May 2002 Test in Lahore, according to the PCB.
Kane Williamson’s side will begin the second leg of the tour from Karachi with four T20Is (between April 13 and April 19), followed by the fifth T20 and two ODIs in Lahore (April 23-28) and the last three ODIs will be played in Rawalpindi (May 1-7).
“We had promised our passionate fans that we will deliver high-quality home international cricket in 2022. Today’s announcement of New Zealand’s double visit to Pakistan is part of that commitment,” PCB Director International Cricket, Zakir Khan, said in a statement.
He said the matches against New Zealand will also provide an opportunity for youngsters in the team to excel and train for future tournaments.
“Three Tests against England followed by two Tests versus New Zealand over six weeks will give us a chance to strengthen our claims for a place in the ICC (International Cricket Council) World Test Championship final. The eight ODIs will help us to prepare for September’s Asia Cup and October’s 50-over ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023,” Khan said.
New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive David White said the visitors were “very much looking forward to the dual tours”.
“New Zealand and Pakistan share a terrific history in international cricket and there is genuine respect between the two teams as well as the two boards,” he was quoted as saying in the PCB statement.
New Zealand will be the third high-profile cricket team to tour Pakistan in 2022.
In March, Australia made their first tour of Pakistan in 24 years when they played three Tests, three ODIs and a T20.
Last month, England also visited Pakistan for the first time in 17 years and played seven T20s. They will return in late November for Tests in Rawalpindi, Multan and Karachi to be played in December.
