New Zealand to play 15 internationals across two tours of Pakistan next year after 2021 debacle

The first Test is scheduled to take place in Karachi starting December 27 of the ongoing year. The two sides will then travel to Multan for the second fixture beginning January 4, with the encounter set to be their first Test meeting at the venue in 33 years. Both matches will form a part of the ICC World Test Championship and will be followed by the rivals making a trip back to Karachi for all the remaining games of the tour.

The second tour will exclusively feature white ball matches across Rawalpindi and Lahore, and unlike the first leg, is not a part of the Future Tours Program considering it is meant to cover up for the abandoned games in 2021. The Black Caps were scheduled to play three ODIs and five T20Is in September of last year but doubts were cast when the two teams did not show up to the stadium ahead of the first ODI. Subsequently, the visitors had announced they will be returning home without playing a game due to security concerns. 

"New Zealand is one of the high-performing sides and the more we will play against the top teams in our backyard, the better we will get as a unit, which is crucial to our objective of featuring inside the top-three across all formats. The New Zealand matches will also provide opportunities to our youngsters to continue to watch and follow their favourite players in action, something they have missed when we were forced to play our international cricket offshore."