Monday, July 6, 2009

New Zealand to host Pakistan tour

Shahid Afridi (left) and Peter McGlashan
Pakistan knocked New Zealand out of the Twenty20 World Cup

Pakistan will play three Tests in New Zealand in November and December, New Zealand Cricket announced on Tuesday.

They will also play the Black Caps in four one-day and two Twenty20 internationals in the United Arab Emirates in October.

The games replace New Zealand's scheduled tour to Pakistan, which was abandoned because of security concerns.

Dates and venues for the Tests have yet to be finalised, but an itinerary is likely to be ready by the end of July.

Pakistan will keep any profits from the Tests and limited-overs matches, including broadcasting revenues, to compensate for the loss of the proceeds from a home series.

New Zealand would not lose money, said New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan, because Pakistan would meet all costs.

New Zealand's schedule for the 2009-2010 season already includes home series against Bangladesh and Australia, but Vaughan said suitable dates could be found for the Pakistan matches.

"First class cricket would have been going for a little while so we're not talking about a ridiculously early start for the series," said Vaughan.

"But the weather here in December can be fickle so we probably need to be mindful of that."

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