PCB announces schedule of New Zealand’s tour to Pakistan

Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Monday announced the match schedule of New Zealand men’s cricket team’s dual tours of Pakistan.

According to PCB, 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 Mohammad 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.

Multan will host 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).

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