Pakistan to prepare for World Cup against New Zealand
Pakistan may currently be fully focussed on levelling the current Test series against England when play gets underway this week, after securing a four-wicket victory over their hosts at The Oval last week, but come December and January they’ll have New Zealand firmly in their sights.
And with an eye on the 2011 World Cup, the series between Pakistan and New Zealand has been heavily weighted to focus on ODI cricket. The schedule, announced today, will see the teams play one another in two Tests, six ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals in 2010-11.
"We have agreed to move from three Tests to two to allow the addition of another ODI and three Twenty20 internationals, which makes sense for both teams in the final weeks before the World Cup commences,” http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 Cricket Chief Executive Justin Vaughan said in a statement on the NZC website.
The series will commence with three Twenty20 Internationals, to be played between Christmas and new year, followed by the Tests in January, with the ODIs taking place on the home stretch of the series, which will end of February 5th.
Just a fortnight later, on February 19th, the World Cup commences in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/March-c74391 2009.
The attacks put an end to international cricket in Pakistan for the foreseeable future, a situation that has most recently seen Pakistan “host” http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 in England – where they drew their two Test series 1-1 – but in 2009-10 it also saw Pakistan take hosting rights against the Kiwis in New Zealand, where a Test team captained by Mohammad Yousuf drew the three Test series 1-1.
However, plans are reportedly afoot for a potential World XI tour of Pakistan, with ECB chairman Giles http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 (who is also chairman of the ICC's Pakistan Task Team) telling the Wisden Cricketer magazine this month that “an ICC World XI in due course will go and play against Pakistan”.
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