Pakistan announces New Zealand series ahead of T20 World Cup

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Wednesday that the New Zealand Men's cricket team will visit the country in April for a five-match T20I series.

The series will be played between 18 to 27 April, with the Blackcaps arriving in Pakistan on 14 April for sufficient training and practice sessions ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup that commences in June.

This will be New Zealand's third visit to the country in the last 17 months, the first of which occurred in December 2022/January 2023 for two Tests and three ODIs and then again in April 2023 for a white-ball tour.

The 2022-23 Test series finished as a 0-0 draw, while New Zealand won the ODI series 2-1.

While in April later that year, the five-match T20I series ended in a 2-2 draw and Pakistan dominated the visitors in ODIs, claiming the series 4-1.

Earlier this year, Pakistan visited New Zealand and suffered a 4-1 defeat in T20Is.

The first three T20Is of the current series will take place in Rawalpindi before the entourage moves to Lahore for the remaining games.

“In a testament to the unwavering camaraderie between Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC), we are delighted to present the schedule for New Zealand men’s team tour to Pakistan 2024," Usman Wahla, Pakisan's Director of International Cricket said.

“This tour symbolises the deep-rooted ties and mutual respect that define the relationship between our two cricketing nations.

“Our avid cricket fans and the people of Pakistan will welcome the New Zealand team again and we hope to have yet another competitive series which is a key part of our buildup to this year’s ICC T20 World Cup.”

Schedule:

14 April – New Zealand arrive in Pakistan

16-17 April – Training/practice

18 April – 1st T20I, Rawalpindi

20 April – 2nd T20I, Rawalpindi

21 April – 3rd T20I, Rawalpindi

25 April – 4th T20I, Lahore

27 April – 5th T20I, Lahore