Pak vs NZ: Green shirts arrive in Christchurch, start mandatory quarantine

CHRISTCHURCH: Pakistan cricket team has arrived in New Zealand to play three T20 and two Test matches, Geo News reported Tuesday.

The 54-member squad, including 34 players and 20 officials, will stay at the Hilton Hotel for their mandatory 14-day quarantine period.

As per the instructions of the New Zealand government, the squad will undergo a total of three coronavirus tests during their isolation period.

Sources say that in case the first coronavirus test report turns out to be negative, the national squad will be divided into different groups after which each group will be allowed to train in a biosecure environment for the first three days after isolation.

The squad's first coronavirus test will be performed on November 25. 

The team will play its first T20 match on December 18 in Auckland, the second T20 match is scheduled in Hamilton on December 20, while they will play their last T20 match of the series in Napier on December 22.

The two teams will also face each other in a Test series comprising two matches. The team will play their first test in Mount Maunganui from December 26-30, while they will play their second test in Christchurch from January 3-7. 

It will be the first test series for Babar Azam as a captain.

Read more: Pak vs NZ: Babar Azam says team is well-prepared for New Zealand tour

Head to Head

Per record, in the shortest format of the game, the Pakistani squad have a slight advantage over the Kiwis. In the past, the two teams have locked horns 21 times in T20 out of which the green shirts were victorious 13 times.

In 2018, the Pakistani team scored 201 against the Kiwis and won the match by 48 runs. The team's lowest score in a T20 match against New Zealand is 101 runs.