Cricket

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that the national team will embark on a tour of New Zealand in 2025, featuring three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). This will be the sixth series between the two nations since 2023.The tour was finalized during a meeting between PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) CEO Scott Weenink in Lahore. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ongoing five-match T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand.It was agreed in principle that the tour will take place after the 2025 Champions Trophy, which Pakistan is scheduled to host. The meeting was also attended by PCB COO Salman Naseer and Director International Cricket Usman Wahla.As per the existing ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP), New Zealand is also scheduled to tour Pakistan for a tri-nation series before the Champions Trophy.New Zealand visited Pakistan twice in 2022/23 for a Test and white-ball series, while Pakistan toured New Zealand in January 2023 for a five-match T20I series.PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the country's interior minister, requested the NZC official to convey the secure environment in Pakistan for international cricket to other ICC members."The PCB chief spoke in reference to Pakistan hosting the Champions Trophy early next year and the need for all participating nations to play in Pakistan without any concerns at all," a source said.The PCB is keen to showcase Pakistan's ability to host major international cricket events, and the upcoming Champions Trophy will be a significant opportunity to do so. The board is confident that the tour by New Zealand will further enhance the country's reputation as a safe and welcoming destination for cricket.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has expressed openness to the possibility of playing bilateral series with India if the Indian team visits Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy next year.Naqvi's comments came in response to a recent interview by Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who praised the Pakistan cricket team and said it would be "awesome" to play the neighbors in a Test series overseas."If any options in this regard come, we will consider it, but our target right now is to host the Champions Trophy and first let India come for the tournament," Naqvi said. "Right now, till the CT, there is no slot available as our team has a packed itinerary.""Once they come here first, then we can look at any proposal whenever it comes before us," he added.The two teams last played a bilateral limited-overs series in 2012-13, when Pakistan visited India. However, India has refused to play any Tests against Pakistan since 2007, when the two countries engaged in a rubber on Indian soil.Last year, India declined to send its team for the Asia Cup matches in Pakistan, forcing the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to adopt a hybrid model for the event, with most matches being held in Sri Lanka.Naqvi met with BCCI secretary Jay Shah during an ICC meeting in Dubai in February. The meeting was seen as a positive step towards improving relations between the two cricket boards.If India does agree to play a bilateral series in Pakistan, it would be a significant development in the cricketing rivalry between the two nations. The series would likely attract a huge amount of attention and would be a major boost for Pakistan cricket.