Image Credit- AP
The PCB has approved
New Zealand’s five T20I match trip of Pakistan in April. Arriving in Islamabad
on April 14, the visitors will play three games at Rawalpindi from April 18 to
21 and two more games at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on April 25 and 27.
The journey was approved following the arrival in Pakistan in February of a
security delegation on a mandatory visit to multiple nations, most notably
Australia and New Zealand. Since December 2022, New Zealand has travelled to
Pakistan three times. At the start of that year, they participated in two Tests
and three ODIs in Pakistan. They then returned in April 2023 to play 10
white-ball matches, five T20Is and five ODIs.
Since this series
coincides with the Indian Premier League [IPL], as it did in April of last
year, a few of New Zealand’s top T20 cricket players are probably out of the
picture. IPL teams have contracts with Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Kane
Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Trent Boult, Glenn Phillips, and Lockie Ferguson
for the current season.
The first five of Pakistan’s twelve Twenty20 Internationals are scheduled to
play prior of the T20 World Cup in June, and this will be New Zealand’s final
international match before that competition.
“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,” the PCB’s
director of international cricket Usman Wahla 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.”