The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) 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 defense and three ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League fixtures from December 27 to January 15, 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 stage the second Test between Pakistan and England (9-13 December).
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
Pakistan v England
1-5 Dec – 1st Test, Rawalpindi (ICC World Test Championship)
