New Zealand set to tour Pakistan for Test and white-ball series

Oct 10, 2022

New Zealand set to tour Pakistan for Test and white-ball series Image

From December 27 to January 15 in Pakistan, the New Zealand men's team will compete in two Test matches as part of their defence of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) title and three ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League matches before returning for five T20 Internationals and five ODIs from April 13 to May 7.

Kane Williamson's team will play tests in Karachi (December 27–31) and Multan during the first phase of the Pakistan tour (January 4-8). For the three ICC Super League games on January 11, 13, and 15, they will travel back to Karachi.

First Test for New Zealand in Pakistan since the May 2002 Test in Lahore, where Inzamam-ul-Haq scored a memorable 329 and Shoaib Akhtar amassed first innings figures of 8.2-4-11-6, and first Test in the city since October 1990 when Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis shared 15 wickets between them and Shoaib Mohammad scored 203 not out.

The second Test match between Pakistan and England will take place at Multan from December 9–13, followed by the second Test match between Pakistan and New Zealand. Multan previously hosted three ODIs against the West Indies in May.

Four Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) will be played by New Zealand to start the second leg of their tour of Pakistan in Karachi on April 13, 15, 16, and 19. The fifth T20I and two ODIs will be played in Lahore on April 23, 26, and 28, and the final three ODIs will be played in Rawalpindi (May 1, 4 and 7).

"We had promised our ardent supporters that we will give high-quality home international cricket in 2022," said Zakir Khan, director of international cricket for the Pakistan Cricket Board. As part of that commitment, New Zealand's double visit to Pakistan was announced today.

New Zealand is a high-performing team, and the more matches we play against elite opposition in our own home, the stronger we will get as a team, which is essential to achieving our goal of finishing in the top three across all formats. The New Zealand matches will also give our children the chance to continue following and watching their favourite athletes in action, something they missed when we were forced to play our international cricket elsewhere.

"Over the course of six weeks, we will play three tests against England, two tests against New Zealand, and have the opportunity to improve our case for a spot in the ICC World Test Championship final. The eight one-day internationals will help us get ready for the Asia Cup in September and the 50-over ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 in October. As a result, the series versus New Zealand will not only be of the highest calibre but will also have significance.

The chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, David White, stated that the BLACKCAPS were eagerly anticipating the two tours. Pakistan and New Zealand have a long history of playing international cricket together, and both teams and players hold each other in the highest regard.

"I'm sure our players are eager to get there and enjoy playing in cities with a rich cricket history like Karachi, Multan, Lahore, and Rawalpindi. We have no doubts about the calibre of the Pakistani team across all forms or the magnitude of the task we face thanks to the recent tours from Australia and England."

The Future Tours Program is responsible for the first phase of the visit, which consists of two Test matches and three ODIs. The 10 white-ball matches in April and May are intended to make up for the cancelled September 2021 tour.

Pakistan is now in fifth place, while New Zealand is currently ranked eighth in the ICC World Test Championship. Pakistan and New Zealand are currently ranked fourth and sixth, respectively, in the ICC Super League, a competition that serves as a qualifier for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.

The third prominent cricket team to visit Pakistan in 2022 will be New Zealand.

Australia played three Tests, three ODIs, and a T20I on their first trip of Pakistan in 24 years in the months of March and April. For the first time in 17 years, England travelled to Pakistan last month to play seven Twenty20 Internationals. For the tests in Rawalpindi, Multan, and Karachi in December, they will return in late November.

Schedule of matches

Pakistan v New Zealand:

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; 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.

Pakistan v England

Dec 1-5: 1st Test, Rawalpindi; Dec 9-13: 2nd Test, Multan; Dec 17-21: 3rd Test, Karachi.