Pak vs NZ: Schedule, match timings, venues, squads, and other details

• Pak vs NZ series to kick off on Sept 17.
• NZ to play five T20s, three ODIs in Pakistan. 
• ODIs to take place in Rawalpindi, while T20s will be held in Lahore. 

Pakistani cricket fans are beside themselves with joy to see the Black Caps return to the country for a cricket series after 18 years. 

With the high-octane series set to begin from September 17, here are all the details you need to know about the matches.

The ODI series kicks off on Friday, September 17, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The match is scheduled to begin at 2pm. 

The next ODI encounter between the two sides will take place at the same venue on September 19 at 2pm. 

The series decider between Pakistan and New Zealand will also take place at the same venue on September 21. The match is expected to begin at the same scheduled time.

Squads

Pakistan (ODI)

Babar Azam (captain, Central Punjab), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Haris (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shadab Khan (Northern), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh), Usman Qadir (Central Punjab) and Zahid Mahmood (Southern Punjab)

New Zealand (ODI)

Tom Latham (c) (wk), Finn Allen, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell (wk), Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Scott Kuggeleijn, Cole McConchie, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Blair Tickner, Will Young

Coaching Staff: Glenn Pocknall, Graeme Aldridge, Thilan Samaraweera

T20 series

The T20 series between the two sides will commence from September 25 and this time, the venue has been changed to Lahore's Gaddafi stadium. 

The time and venue for the rest of the four matches will remain the same. Pakistan and New Zealand will play the second, third, fourth, and fifth T20 matches on September 26, 29, October 1 and October 3, respectively. 

Pakistan squad:

TBA

New Zealand squad:

Tom Latham (c) (wk) Finn Allen, Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell (wk) Mark Chapman, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Ajaz Patel, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears, Blair Tickner, Will Young

Coaching Staff: Shane Jurgensen, Glenn Pocknall, Graeme Aldridge, Tilan Samaraweera

New Zealand express satisfaction with security measures

After a few international media reports claimed the Black Caps were hesitant on touring Pakistan in light of the Taliban takeover of Kabul, speculation started doing the rounds on social media that the tour would be called off. 

However, a few days earlier, New Zealand Cricket expressed satisfaction with the report of its security expert and captain Tom Latham in a statement from Dhaka, on video calling app Zoom. He had expressed belief in Rig Dickason's report.

“Someone like Reg, he's been around a long time, and he's worked with New Zealand Cricket for a long time. We here have full trust in what he does for New Zealand Cricket and the processes and regulations that they put in place," Latham was quoted as saying by the Stuff.