PCB Requests NZC For Two Additional T20Is During Their tour To Pakistan Before T20 World Cup
Published - 16 Jul 2021, 05:50 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:49 AM
Considering the T20 World Cup in mind, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has requested the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for the addition of a couple of T20Is when they tour Pakistan for a limited-overs series comprising 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is ahead of the World T20 Cup.
Though the dates of the matches haven’t been finalized yet, it is understood that the Kiwis will tour Pakistan in September-October; Pakistan are set to host England as well for two T20Is on October 14 and 15, tentatively, before flying to the UAE for the world event.
If the tour goes through, it would be New Zealand’s first trip to Pakistan since 2003, when they were white-washed in the five-match ODI series.
“Yes negotiations are being held with Cricket New Zealand to play two additional T20 matches because of the World T20 Cup but nothing is finalized as yet,” a source was quoted by The New Indian Express as saying.
Pakistan prepares for a bumper limited-overs home season
Pakistan are currently in England for a white-ball tour – 3-match ODI series in which they were whitewashed will be followed by a 3 T20Is – and after that, they fly straight to the Caribbean to take on West Indies for 5 T20Is and 2 Test matches.
They return home and are lined to host New Zealand, England, West Indies and Australia as three ICC World Cups are planned in three consecutive years.
After New Zealand, England will also be touring Pakistan for the first time since 2005/06 for a short 2-match T20I series right before the World Cup. West Indies are due tentatively in December and Australia in Feb/March 2022.
Australia will be sending a reconnaissance delegation in September to inspect arrangements for their tour; they haven’t toured the country since 1998.
These tours have put the PCB in a spot as they would then be forced to delay next year’s PSL to April-May instead of its regular window of February 20 to March 23, making it a clash with the IPL 2022.
Between 2010 and 2018, no top-ranked Test side visited Pakistan due to security concerns following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009.
