Pakistan Cricket Team Wraps Up New Zealand Tour, Sets Sights on Exciting Challenges Ahead

In an official statement, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that the national cricket team is set to depart from New Zealand today, marking the conclusion of their tour Down Under.

Commencing in December, Pakistan’s tour of Down Under kicked off with intense matches against the Australian cricket team in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney, spanning from December to January 2024. Unfortunately, the tour concluded on a somber note as Captain Shan Masood’s side faced a 3-0 whitewash in the series.

The subsequent engagement saw Pakistan engaging in a series of five T20I matches against New Zealand from Jan. 12-21, resulting in four consecutive losses. However, the green shirts managed to stage a comeback in the final T20I, securing a victory by 42 runs and avoiding a potential 5-0 whitewash.

The PCB revealed that a contingent of cricketers is scheduled to depart from Auckland on Monday night, en route to Pakistan via Dubai, with an expected arrival on Jan. 23. Notably, T20 captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and Azam Khan are set to head to Dubai for the ITL20 tournament.

Furthermore, players participating in the Bangladesh Premier League, including Babar Azam, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Muhammad Rizwan, and Abbas Afridi, are slated to depart for Dhaka from Christchurch on Monday.

Looking ahead, most players from the Pakistan national squad are gearing up for the upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in February and March. Subsequently, the national squad is poised to embark on a journey to England for a four-match T20I series, serving as crucial preparation leading up to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 scheduled for June.