New Zealand arrive in Pakistan for limited overs series

The New Zealand Cricket team has arrived in Pakistan for the limited-overs series which will see the teams crossing swords in thee ODIs and five T20Is from September 25 to October 3. This is New Zealand’s first tour to Pakistan in 18 years. New Zealand last visited the country in 2003 for a five-match ODI series. Post that, the 'Men in Green' have hosted the Black Caps thrice, but the series were played in UAE owing to the team’s reluctance in travelling to Pakistan after the deadly attack on the Sri Lanka team in 2009.

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The Kiwi players will have to serve three days in isolation before being allowed to train for the series. They’ll hit their first training session on 15 September and will play the first ODI on 17th September. The remaining 50-over matches will be played on September 19 and 21. Rawalpindi will play host to all the three ODIs of the series. 

The caravan will then move to Lahore where teams will clash in the T20I series. Pakistan and New Zealand will play back to back games on September 25 and 26. The third, fourth and fifth T20I will be played on September 29, October 1 and 3.

New Zealand come into the series after a 3-2 loss against Bangladesh. However, the surface in Pakistan is likely to be way better than what was presented in Bangladesh and the visitors can hope for better results. The hosts, on the other hand, last played against West Indies. The five-match T20I series was marred by rain and only two games were possible, with both teams winning a game each. 

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Pakistan Squad for New Zealand ODIs - Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Haris, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Qadir, Zahid Mahmood, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Rauf, Hasnain Ali, Shahbawaz Dahani

 New Zealand Squad for Pakistan ODIs: Tom Latham (capt), Finn Allen, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell, Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry (ODI only), Scott Kuggeleijn, Cole McConchie, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears (T20 only), Blair Tickner, Will Young.

New Zealand Squad for Pakistan Twenty20s: Tom Latham (capt), Finn Allen, Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell, Mark Chapman, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Ajaz Patel, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears, Blair Tickner, Will Young.