After hosting full-strength Australia and England, Pakistan is all set to welcome New Zealand for a full-fledged series in two parts. The schedule of New Zealand tour has been announced by PCB today. The ICC World Test Champions will play two test matches as part of the ICC World Test Championship, and three ODIs which will be part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League from 27 December to 15 January. They will return for the second leg in April, in which they will play five T20Is and five ODIs from 13 April to 7 May.
The first test match in Karachi (27-31 December) will be New Zealand men’s team’s first game on Pakistan soil since 2003. The Karachi Test will also be New Zealand’s first test match in the city since October 1990 when Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis rattled New Zealand’s batting line up sharing 15 wickets. New Zealand last played a test match in Pakistan in May 2002 Test in Lahore, where Inzamam-ul-Haq scored a memorable 329 and Shoaib Akhtar recorded first innings figures of 8.2-4-11-6.
In September and October of 2021, the New Zealand cricket team visited Pakistan to compete in three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). However, on the morning of the first ODI New Zealand Cricket (NZC) reported a security threat, which led to the cancellation of the entire tour. Nonetheless, both cricket boards agreed in December 2021 to play extra matches in Pakistan in April 2023 to compensate for the canceled tour.
👏👏 There was a time when England cancelled tour right after decision made by NewZealand but time doesn't remains the same always. There will be a moment in the last week of December 2022 when England and NewZealand both will be present together in Pakistan to play cricket again
— Arfa Feroz Zake (@ArfaSays_) October 10, 2022
The first leg of the tour for two Tests and three ODIs is part of the ICC’s FTP (Future Tours Programme), while the second leg in April/May is to make up for the abandoned September 2021 tour.
Zakir Khan, PCB Director – International Cricket, said while announcing the tour itinerary, “New Zealand is one of the high-performing sides and the more we will play against the top teams in our backyard, the better we will get as a unit, which is crucial to our objective of featuring inside the top-three across all formats. The New Zealand matches will also provide opportunities to our youngsters to continue to watch and follow their favourite players in action, something they have missed when we were forced to play our international cricket offshore.”
New Zealand will begin the second leg of the Pakistan tour in Karachi with four T20Is (13, 15, 16, and 19 April), followed by the fifth T20I and two ODIs in Lahore (23, 26, and 28 April) and the last three ODIs will be played in Rawalpindi (1, 4 and 7 May).
🗓️Mark your calendars!
After hosting Australia and England, PCB announces details of New Zealand dual tours of Pakistan#PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/CDRmfZxOMT
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 10, 2022
David White, New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive, expressed his excitement about the upcoming tour, “The BLACKCAPS are 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 added, “I know our players can’t wait to arrive and savour the experience of playing in Karachi, Multan, Lahore and Rawalpindi –places that carry a great cricketing heritage.”
New Zealand will be the third high-profile cricket side to tour Pakistan in 2022, after Australia and England. Australia toured Pakistan in March/April, for the first time in twenty-four years. They competed in three tests, three one-day internationals, and one Twenty20 international. Followed by the England team, who visited Pakistan after 17 years and played seven Twenty20 Internationals in the first leg last month. They will return in late November after T20 World Cup, for test matches in Rawalpindi, Multan, and Karachi in December.
Compete Tour itinerary of Pakistan v New Zealand:
27-31 Dec – 1st Test, Karachi (ICC World Test Championship)
4-8 Jan – 2nd Test, Multan (ICC World Test Championship)
11 Jan – 1st ODI, Karachi (ICC Super League)
13 Jan – 2nd ODI, Karachi (ICC Super League)
15 Jan – 3rd ODI, Karachi (ICC Super League)
13 Apr – 1st T20I, Karachi
15 Apr – 2nd T20I, Karachi
16 Apr – 3rd T20I, Karachi
19 Apr – 4th T20I, Karachi
23 Apr – 5th T20I, Lahore
26 Apr – 1st ODI, Lahore
28 Apr – 2nd ODI, Lahore
1 May – 3rd ODI, Rawalpindi
4 May – 4th ODI, Rawalpindi
7 May – 5th ODI, Rawalpindi