Aug 31, 2021: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has allowed players to bring their families and support staff for the New Zealand series so that the players can deal with the stress that comes with being alone in a geo-safe bubble.

The cricket series between Pakistan and New Zealand will start on September 17. The New Zealand team will arrive in Pakistan for a cricket series after 18 years, playing three ODIs and five T20s.

The ODIs will be played on September 17, 19 and 21 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Both teams will play five T20 matches on September 25, 26 and 29 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

According to the PCB, the national team will arrive in Islamabad on September 8 to prepare for the series against New Zealand. After a day of quarantine, the national contingent will begin training on September 10.

The board will announce the squad for NZ series by September 7.

NZ squad for ODIs

Tom Latham (c), 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

NZ squad for T20s

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

The toss for the ODI series will be at 2 pm while the first innings will start at 2.30 pm and will continue till 6 pm. The second innings of the match will start at 6:30 pm and is expected to end at 10 pm. The toss of the T20 International matches will be at 6:30 p.m. The first innings of the match will start at 7 pm and will continue till 8:25 pm while the second innings will be played from 8:45 pm to 10:10 pm.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in December last year allowed members of the national cricket squad to travel with their families at home and abroad, citing mental health issues during the tour of New Zealand and the series against South Africa, Zimbabwe, England and the West Indies.

However, the board reversed its decision in June and did not allow the players and support staff to accompany their families during the tour of England.

On Monday, the PCB announced that the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) had approved a 25% crowd attendance for the series.

The PCB said the decision meant that about 4,500 spectators would be able to come to the stadium for the ODI series, while about 5,500 spectators would be able to come to the venue during the T20 series to see live action. “Only spectators who have been fully vaccinated and who have a safety certificate for the corona virus will be allowed inside the stadium,” the statement said.

The statement said that following the decision of the NCOC, the PCB would soon announce ticket prices and other details for the tour of New Zealand.

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