New Zealand Cricket Allows Players To Choose Between The IPL And The Pakistan Tour

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has allowed its players to choose between featuring in the historic Pakistan tour or the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year. The Kiwis will visit Pakistan in two phases – in December 2022-January 2023, followed by April-May 2023 to play in all formats.

In December 2022 and January 2023, New Zealand will travel to Pakistan for the first leg of the ICC World Test Championship, which consists of two Test matches. As both teams strive for direct qualification in the 50-over tournament next year, the tourists will also take part in three World Cup Super League matches.

From April 13 to May 7, the second leg of the tour will feature five ODIs and just as many T20Is and will conflict with the lucrative Indian league. Players like Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, and Mitchell Santner will probably need to make a choice.

“As of our understanding, our full-strength side will go to Pakistan. I haven’t talked to players and their associations further in this regard. But, players will be allowed to play in IPL. They will be free to choose between IPL and Pakistan tour,” David White said.

“Our delegation visited Pakistan earlier this year. We are in contact with the embassy and our government about this tour,” David White, CEO of NZC, stated to New Zealand media

Pakistan is a team that is formidable in all formats: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson, the captain of the Black Caps, expressed his excitement to play in Pakistan and predicted that the visitors would be a formidable opponent. In a video posted by Pakistan Cricket on Twitter, the right-handed batter said:

“It’s really exciting playing cricket back in Pakistan. Such rich cricketing history, so many incredible matches that have been played here, and we are looking forward to that experience.”

“Pakistan is a team that is formidable in all formats, so we know it’s a tough task, but it’s a challenge we look forward to. As a team, they are always well-balanced. They have produced a lot of fast bowlers and have the batting to go with it all. Their captain Babar Azam is the top in the world.”

The current tri-nation series between the two teams also includes Bangladesh. In the series finale, Pakistan and New Zealand will likely face off.

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