RAWALPINDI: April 26, 2023: Pakistan’s preparations for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will begin on Thursday when they will take on New Zealand in the first of the five One-Day Internationals. The series will commence at the iconic Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, which will also host the second ODI on Saturday, before the two teams will fly south for the remaining three matches in Karachi.
The two sides will enter the series after an exciting five-match T20 International series that ended in a 2-2 draw on Monday. That well-fought series promises equally competitive and exciting five matches for which both the sides have added a player each. Pakistan have added wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris and New Zealand has included Mark Chapman, whose extraordinary batting efforts in the T20Is earned him player of the series award.
In addition to this series and in the lead up to the World Cup, which will be held in October/November, Pakistan are also scheduled to play three ODIs against Afghanistan in August and September’s ACC Men’s Asia Cup. As such, this series comes with the vital opportunity to gather the momentum.
Both Pakistan and New Zealand have qualified directly for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 after finishing in the top-eight of the 13-team ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League. New Zealand topped the Super League with 16 wins in 24 matches, while Pakistan finished fifth with 13 wins in 21 matches. Pakistan’s series against Afghanistan was mutually postponed after both the sides were assured of places in the event proper.
Pakistan’s record since the start of last year has also been a remarkable one. They enjoy the win-loss ratio of 3, which is the best for any side. During this period, they have beaten Australia (2-1), West Indies (3-0) and the Netherlands (3-0) before losing to New Zealand (2-1) earlier in the year in Karachi