Sohail Ali
LAHORE, Oct 10 (APP):The Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday announced match schedule of New Zealand men’s cricket team’s dual tours of Pakistan. The BLACKCAPS will play two Tests as part of their ICC World Test Championship title defence and three ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League fixtures from 27 December to 15 January, before returning for five T20Is and five ODIs from 13 April to 7 May.
On the first leg of the Pakistan tour, Kane Williamson’s side will play Tests in Karachi (27-31 December) and Multan (4-8 January). They will return to Karachi for the three ICC Super League matches on 11, 13 and 15 January.
The Karachi Test will be New Zealand’s first in the metropolitan city since October 1990 when Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis shared 15 wickets between them and Shoaib Muhammad scored 203 not out, and first in Pakistan since the May 2002 Test in Lahore in which Inzamam-ul-Haq scored a memorable 329 and Shoaib Akhtar recorded first innings figures of 8.2-4-11-6.
It continues to be a memorable year for Multan as well. After hosting three ODIs against the West Indies in May, they will stage the second Test between Pakistan and England (9-13 December), before holding the second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand. Multan has also been announced as one of the four venues of the HBL Pakistan Super League, which will be held from 9 February to 19 March.
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 last three ODIs will be played in Rawalpindi (1, 4 and 7 May).
Zakir Khan, PCB Director – International Cricket said here : “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.
“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.
“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 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. As such, the series against New Zealand will not only be from the top drawer but will also have context, making it something to watch out for.”
David White, New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive said : “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.
“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.
“The recent tours from Australia and England have left us in no doubt regarding the quality of the Pakistan side across all formats, and the extent of the challenge that awaits us.”
The first leg of the tour for two Tests and three ODIs is part of the Future Tours Programme, while the 10 white-ball matches in April/May are to make-up for the abandoned September 2021 tour.
New Zealand are presently eighth on the ICC World Test Championship, while Pakistan is sitting in fifth spot. In the ICC Super League, a qualifying tournament for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, Pakistan and New Zealand are fourth and sixth, respectively.
New Zealand will be the third high-profile cricket side to tour Pakistan in 2022.
In March/April, Australia made their first tour of Pakistan in 24 years when they played three Tests, three ODIs and a T20I. Last month, England visited Pakistan for the first time in 17 years and played seven T20Is. They will return in late November for December’s Tests in Rawalpindi, Multan and Karachi.
Schedule of matches (Playing hours to be confirmed closer to matches):
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
Pakistan v England
1-5 Dec – 1st Test, Rawalpindi (ICC World Test Championship)
9-13 Dec – 2nd Test, Multan (ICC World Test Championship)
17-21 Dec – 3rd Test, Karachi (ICC World Test Championship).
