In an exciting development, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that the men’s national cricket team will play 10 additional T20 International matches against New Zealand during the 2023-24 season. This strategic decision aims to provide the best possible preparation opportunities for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Following the conclusion of three ICC World Test Championship matches in Australia from December 14 to January 7, Pakistan will head to New Zealand for a five-match T20I series. These matches, scheduled from January 12 to January 21, will kick-start Pakistan’s T20 World Cup preparations.
The T20I series against New Zealand will be played as follows:
- January 12: 1st T20I in Auckland
- January 14: 2nd T20I in Hamilton
- January 17: 3rd T20I in Dunedin
- January 19: 4th T20I in Christchurch
- January 21: 5th T20I in Christchurch
In return, New Zealand will make a reciprocal visit to Pakistan in April 2024 for a five-match T20I series, filling the vacant window in the schedule. Details of the series will be announced closer to the time.
With the addition of these 10 T20Is, Pakistan’s schedule in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup becomes even more intense. The team is set to play a total of 19 T20Is, including matches against the Netherlands (3 matches), Ireland (2 matches), and England (4 matches). Alongside the international matches, the PCB will also host the highly competitive HBL Pakistan Super League 2024 in February/March 2024.
To accommodate the additional T20Is, the PCB, in consultation with Cricket West Indies and New Zealand Cricket, has made slight changes to its Future Tours Programme 2023-2025. The two ICC World Test Championship fixtures against the West Indies, originally planned for February 2024 in Pakistan, will now be held in January 2025. Similarly, Pakistan’s tour to New Zealand for three ODIs and five T20Is, initially scheduled for January 2025, has been rescheduled to April 2025.
The recent five-match T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand in Lahore and Rawalpindi ended in a thrilling two-all draw, showcasing the competitive spirit of both teams. Currently, New Zealand and Pakistan are ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the ICC T20I Team Rankings, with only two points separating them.
In addition to the men’s schedule, the Pakistan women’s cricket team’s matches in New Zealand have also been confirmed. The team will play three T20Is in Dunedin and Queenstown from December 3 to 9, followed by three ICC Women’s Championship ODIs against New Zealand from December 12 to 18 in Queenstown and Christchurch.
The ICC Women’s Championship series against New Zealand will be Pakistan’s third of the year, with their final two series scheduled against the West Indies (home, April 2024) and England (away, May 2024).
The PCB’s commitment to providing extensive match practice and preparation opportunities reflects their determination to excel in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA in June 2024. Fans eagerly await the exciting cricketing contests that lie ahead as Pakistan continues to fine-tune its squad for the global tournament.
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