Black Caps announce Pakistan tours after security concern

The Black Caps will tour Pakistan twice in five months to play two test matches, eight one-day internationals and five Twenty20s, the Pakistan Cricket Board said today.

The two test matches, which will be part of the World Test Championship, will be played at Karachi from Dec. 27-31 and Multan from Jan. 4-8. Karachi will also host the three ODIs from Jan. 11-15 as part of ICC World Cup Super League.

New Zealand will return to Pakistan in April and will play four Twenty20s at Karachi from April 13-19. Lahore will host the fifth T20 and two ODIs from April 23-28 and the remaining three ODIs will be played at Rawalpindi from May. 1-7.

New Zealand aborted their tour to Pakistan last year just hours before the first ODI in Rawalpindi because of an undisclosed security concern.

Ramiz Raja, the PCB chairman, said at the time it was "frustrating" to see the Black Caps walking out of the tour by taking a unilateral approach and not sharing the security threat with Pakistan.

England subsequently abandoned a short scheduled tour to Pakistan due to security concerns. However, England last month arrived for its first tour of Pakistan for the first time in 17 years, winning the seven-match Twenty20 series 4-3. England will also tour Pakistan in December for three test matches.

"New Zealand and Pakistan share a terrific history in international cricket and there is genuine respect between the two teams as well as the two boards," David White, New Zealand Cricket chief executive said in a statement.

"The recent tours from Australia and England have left us in no doubt regarding the quality of the Pakistan side across all formats, and the extent of the challenge that awaits us."

Zakir Khan, PCB director international cricket, said that the ODIs against New Zealand will help Pakistan prepare for next year's Asia Cup and the World Cup, which is being held in India.