Having quit a series just an hour before it kick-started, the Kiwis have agreed to tour Pakistan twice in the 2022/23 cycle to make amends for the postponed series. The news was confirmed by both boards, who announced that a total of 8 ODIs, 5 T20Is and 2 Tests will be involved across both the tours.
The first visit will be a part of the Future Tours Program. NZ players will be in the subcontinent in December 2022, right after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, to play the men in green in two Tests and three ODIs. They will be back again in April 2023, for five ODIs and five T20Is.
In their second outing to Pakistan, it was confirmed that the ODIs will not be a part of the ODI Super League and will be played only for the ICC rankings.
“It’s good to be going back. Our respective chairmen, Ramiz Raja and Martin Snedden, had very fruitful and constructive discussions while in Dubai, further strengthening the bond between the two organisations.”
NZC chief executive David White said in a statement.
After being especially critical of the NZC’s decision when they abandoned the tour this year, Ramiz said that the board was “pleased with the outcomes of our discussions and negotiations“.
“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,”
he said.
The PCB were left furious when the Kiwis decided to abandon the series against Pakistan just hours before the first game was about to kick off. Citing security concerns, which involved unilateral threats directed towards the New Zealand government from various sources, the players were called back in September, killing much-needed practice time for both sides ahead of the T20 World Cup.
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern backed the decision from the team management to head back and mentioned that she had thanked Pakistan PM Imran Khan for their hospitality. Shortly after their heroics in the T20 World Cup, Pakistan had confirmed two visitors in Australia and England in 2022 and are expected to welcome many more in the near future.
