PCB announces changes to New Zealand tour due to elections

F.P. Report

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced changes to the itinerary of the New Zealand cricket team’s upcoming tour of Pakistan due to elections in Punjab province scheduled on April 30.

The Blackcaps will be touring Pakistan for five ODIs and five T20Is in April.

Pakistan on Monday revised the schedule for next month’s limited-overs cricket series against New Zealand because of expected elections in Punjab. The series has been pushed back by one day and will now start in Lahore on April 14 instead of Karachi.

Two of the three venues for the series — Lahore and Rawalpindi — are in Punjab, where elections are likely to be held from April 30.

“The two boards have unanimously agreed to make tweaks to the five Twenty20 internationals and as many one-day internationals,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a press release.

New Zealand will now arrive in Lahore and will play three T20Is from 14-17 April, before travelling to Rawalpindi where the final two T20Is and first ODI will be played from 20-26 April.

The tour will culminate in Karachi with the remaining four ODIs to be played from 30 April to 7 May.

The upcoming series is an additional tour by the New Zealand cricket team to make up for an earlier cancelled series and the matches will count towards ICC Team Rankings.

The PCB is hoping to use the ODIs to help their team prepare for the ACC Asia Cup, which remains a contentious issue, and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Revised schedule of New Zealand tour:

April 14 – 1st T20I, Lahore

April 15– 2nd T20I, Lahore

April 17– 3rd T20I, Lahore

April 20– 4th T20I, Rawalpindi

April 24– 5th T20I, Rawalpindi

April 26– 1st ODI, Rawalpindi

April 30– 2nd ODI, Karachi

May 3 – 3rd ODI, Karachi

May 5 – 4th ODI, Karachi May 7 – 5th ODI, Karachi