WELLINGTON/LAHORE: New Zealand will tour Pakistan twice next season, including once to compensate for abandoning their tour earlier this year, the cricket boards of both countries said on Monday.
Brace yourselves! New Zealand to tour Pakistan for two Tests and three ODIs in December/January 2022-23 and will return in April 2023 for 10 white-ball matches. Exciting, right?#harhaalmaincricket pic.twitter.com/IRwgcOsYoq
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 20, 2021
New Zealand had abandoned their tour in September citing a security threat, a decision that came as a massive blow to Pakistan’s hopes of staging regular international cricket and infuriated the Pakistan board (PCB).
England followed the New Zealand decision by also abandoning its short tour to Pakistan just before the T20 World Cup in October.
However, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja and his New Zealand counterpart Martin Snedden met in Dubai last month to build bridges between the boards.
New Zealand will tour Pakistan in December 2022-January 2023 to play two Tests and three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) before returning in April for five ODIs and the same number of T20 Internationals.
“Our respective chairmen […] had very fruitful and constructive discussions while in Dubai, further strengthening the bond between the two organisations,” New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said in a statement.
“It’s good to be going back.”
The exact dates of the matches would be finalised later.
“I am pleased with the outcomes of our discussions and negotiations, and thank Martin Snedden and his board for their understanding and support,” Raja said in a statement.
“This reflects the strong, cordial and historic relations the two boards have and reconfirms Pakistan’s status as an important member of the cricket fraternity.”
Raja had earlier alleged that Pakistan had been “used and binned” by the “Western Bloc” after England immediately followed New Zealand’s lead by calling off their tour of the country.
England have since assured Pakistan they will visit for a full series in 2022.
Pakistan is now set to host Australia, West Indies, England and New Zealand between March 2022 and April 2023 for eight test matches, 14 ODIs and 13 T20s.
Some wishes do come true! You wanted international cricket in Pakistan, and we have heard you. Here’s the full schedule. Which match are you looking forward to?#harhaalmaincricket pic.twitter.com/f35qJoLYuU
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 20, 2021
International teams had mostly stayed away from Pakistan since an attack by militants on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009 that killed six policemen and two civilians. That forced Pakistan’s national teams to play “home” matches outside the country for more than six years.
Pakistan this month swept West Indies in a three-match T20 series. A three-match ODI series between the same sides was postponed to next June due to a coronavirus outbreak on the West Indies team.
— With additional input from AP
