New Zealand to tour Pakistan for five T20Is

New Zealand will tour Pakistan for a series comprising five T20Is slated from April 18 to April 27, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Wednesday (March 13). This will be the third time the Black Caps will be visiting Pakistan in the period of 17 months. 

The opening three T20Is will be held in Rawalpindi on April 18, 20 and 21 respectively whereas Lahore will be the venue for the final two matches on April 25 and 27. The Kiwis are set to arrive in the South Asian nation on April 14. 

The series, although, coincides with the Ind T20 League, which was also the case previous year when New Zealand played five T20Is and five ODIs from April 14 to May 7. This implies that most of NZ players who will be engaged with their respective Ind T20 League franchises, are not likely to be available for the series. 

Kane Williamson is  a member of the Gujarat squad while Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner and Devon Conway (still recuperating from a thumb injury) are part of the Chennai side. GlennPhillips (Hyderabad), Trent Boult (Rajasthan) and Lockie Ferguson (Bangalore) are the other Kiwi players involved in the lucrative league. 

"This tour symbolises the deep-rooted ties and mutual respect that define the relationship between our two cricketing nations," said Usman Wahla, PCB's director of international cricket. "Our avid cricket fans and the people of Pakistan will welcome the New Zealand team again and we hope to have yet another competitive series which is a key part of our buildup to this year's T20 World Series."