The New Zealand Cricket team will once again tour Pakistan next month to complete their commitments made to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last year.
The Blackcaps abruptly left Pakistan before the first ODI between the two sides was set to take place in Rawalpindi on 18th September 2021. This led to friction between the two boards which was solved by financial compensation and a promise of a bifurcated tour by the Kiwis in 2022/2023.
The first part was played out in the form of two drawn tests and a 2-1 ODI series win for the visitors.
After breaking for season 8 of the Pakistan Super League, the two are set to face off once again in five T20Is and as many ODIs.
Schedule of the New Zealand cricket team’s tour of Pakistan:
PCB and NZC tweaked a few things to the earlier announced schedule for each other’s benefit.
The series will begin on April 14th with five T20Is before the format shifts on the 26th of April.
The revised itinerary looks like this:
14 Apr – 1st T20I, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
15 Apr – 2nd T20I, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
17 Apr – 3rd T20I, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
20 Apr – 4th T20I, Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
24 Apr – 5th T20I, Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
26 Apr – 1st ODI, Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
30 Apr – 2nd ODI, National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi
3 May – 3rd ODI, National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi
5 May – 4th ODI, National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi
7 May – 5th ODI, National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi
Squads:
Only New Zealand has announced its T20I squad for the series with Pakistan expected to follow suit next week.
Despite their loss to Afghanistan at Sharjah, PCB is expected to stick with a majority of the same squad with very few changes likely.
Starting Times:
No official announcement has been made regarding the starting times.
The T20Is will likely start later in the day to give players a chance to observe Ramadan while the ODIs will likely be held at 2:30 PM just like in January.
Tickets:
PCB has yet to announce the ticket prices for the series. However, they are likely to stick to a working formula.
Tickets will be available on Bookme.pk and PCB’s certified centres. The previous rates for the VIP tickets were Rs 1500, for Premium Rs 750, for First-Class Rs 500 and for General Rs 250 and the same rates are likely this time around as well.
Who will Broadcast New Zealand cricket team’s tour of Pakistan :
PTV Sports and A Sports will likely be the broadcast partners for the series while streaming should be available through either Daraz App, Tapmad TV, Jazz Tamasha or whichever PCB chooses.
