• Pakistan's Haris Rauf picked up four wickets in the T20 World Cup match against New Zealand in Sharjah on Tuesday, October 26, 2021. AP
    Pakistan's Haris Rauf picked up four wickets in the T20 World Cup match against New Zealand in Sharjah on Tuesday, October 26, 2021. AP
  • Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf bowled with extreme pace and also used variations in the T20 World Cup match against New Zealand at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. AFP
    Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf bowled with extreme pace and also used variations in the T20 World Cup match against New Zealand at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. AFP
  • Haris Rauf celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's Devon Conway. AFP
    Haris Rauf celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's Devon Conway. AFP
  • Shaheen Afridi of Pakistan celebrates the wicket of Tim Seifert. Getty
    Shaheen Afridi of Pakistan celebrates the wicket of Tim Seifert. Getty
  • Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi was on fire in Sharjah on Tuesday. AFP
    Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi was on fire in Sharjah on Tuesday. AFP
  • Shoaib Malik guided Pakistan to victory in Sharjah on Tuesday. Getty
    Shoaib Malik guided Pakistan to victory in Sharjah on Tuesday. Getty
  • Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan with teammate Shoaib Malik. AP
    Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan with teammate Shoaib Malik. AP
  • Pakistan's Asif Ali hits a six in Sharjah. AP
    Pakistan's Asif Ali hits a six in Sharjah. AP
  • Pakistan's captain Babar Azam is clean bowled by New Zealand's Tim Southee. AFP
    Pakistan's captain Babar Azam is clean bowled by New Zealand's Tim Southee. AFP
  • Tim Seifert of New Zealand successfully appeals for the wicket of Fakhar Zaman. Getty
    Tim Seifert of New Zealand successfully appeals for the wicket of Fakhar Zaman. Getty
  • Pakistan's fans celebrate as captain Babar Azam takes a catch to dismiss New Zealand's Devon Conway. AP
    Pakistan's fans celebrate as captain Babar Azam takes a catch to dismiss New Zealand's Devon Conway. AP

New Zealand confirm two tours of Pakistan next season after controversial cancellations


  • English
  • Arabic

New Zealand Cricket on Monday announced back-to-back tours of Pakistan next season, after the abrupt and controversial decision to cancel this year's tour on security grounds.

The Black Caps will tour Pakistan from December 2022 to January 2023 to play two World Test Championship fixtures and three one-day internationals, New Zealand administrators said.

The world's No 2 Test team will then return to Pakistan in April for five one-day internationals and five Twenty20 matches.

In September, New Zealand caused a diplomatic incident by cancelling a series in Pakistan just as the first one-dayer was due to start in Rawalpindi. The team quickly left the country with little explanation about the nature of the threat.

England cancelled their own Pakistan tour soon after.

At the time Pakistan's interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad was adamant there was "no threat to cricket in Pakistan, there was no threat to New Zealand and there is no threat to England".

The cancellations had been a huge setback for Pakistan, who have struggled to entice foreign sides back after home internationals were suspended after a deadly terror attack on the Sri Lanka Test side in 2009.

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ramiz Raja welcomed the news. "This reflects the strong, cordial and historic relations" between the two cricket boards, he said.

He added the move "reconfirms Pakistan's status as an important member of the cricket fraternity."

Dates for the fixtures are yet to be announced.

Updated: December 20, 2021, 8:20 AM