Good News For Cricket Fans: New Zealand return to Pakistan to make up for abandoned tour

Islamabad: On Monday, Ramiz noted that Pakistan will host eight Tests, 11 ODIs and 13 T20Is against Australia, England and New Zealand in the period from March 2022 to April 2023.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said that New Zealand would tour Pakistan for two Tests and three ODIs in December/January 2022-23 as part of the Future Tours Programme and will return in April 2023 to play five ODIs and as many T20Is to make up for the abandoned September tour.

Ramiz said both the PCB and NZC will continue to work together to finalise the series dates, which will be announced in due course of time.

“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.

Australia are scheduled to tour Pakistan for the first time since 1998 early next year, followed by tours by England and now New Zealand.

The West Indies recently played a T20 International series in Karachi but had to return home without playing the ODIs due to several COVID-19 positive cases in the visitors’ camp.

New Zealand had abandoned their limited overs tour of Pakistan which was to have three ODIs and five T20Is before the start of the first ODI in Rawalpindi, citing a security threat, which the host board asserted did not exist. England had followed New Zealand in abandoning its short tour to Pakistan just before the T20 World Cup in October.

Ramiz had then lashed out at both New Zealand and England cricket boards for not playing in Pakistan.

International teams had mostly stayed away from Pakistan since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009. That forced Pakistan’s national teams to play “home” matches outside the country for more than six years.

(With Inputs From Agencies)

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