The New Zealand cricket team toured the United Arab Emirates between October and December 2018 to play three Tests, three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 International (T20Is) matches against Pakistan. Originally, the tour was scheduled to have three Tests, five ODIs and one T20I match.
In February 2018, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) looked at the possibility of hosting this series and Australia's tour to the UAE in Malaysia instead of the UAE, due to domestic Twenty20 fixture congestion in Sharjah. In May 2018, the PCB invited New Zealand to play the fixtures in Pakistan. In June 2018, the PCB and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) agreed to play Pakistan's future matches in the UAE. In July 2018, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed that they had declined the PCB's offer to play the T20I fixtures in Pakistan because of security concerns. Therefore, all the matches on the tour took place in the UAE as scheduled.
Pakistan won the T20I series 3–0, setting a new record for the most consecutive series wins in T20Is, with eleven. The ODI series was drawn 1–1, after the third match finished as a no result due to rain.
During the third Test, Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez announced that he would retire from Test cricket following the conclusion of the match, to focus on limited-overs cricket. Hafeez said that the time was right to retire from Test cricket and that he was honoured to represent Pakistan in 55 Test matches, including captaining the side. In the same match, Pakistan's Yasir Shah set a new record for the fastest bowler to take 200 wickets in Tests. He achieved it in his 33rd Test, breaking an 82-year old record that was set by Clarrie Grimmett of Australia, who took his 200th wicket in his 36th match. New Zealand went on to win the Test series 2–1. It was New Zealand's first away Test series win against Pakistan since 1969.
Squads TestsODIsT20Is Sarfaraz Ahmed (c, wk) Mohommad Abbas Shaheen Afridi Azhar Ali Hasan Ali Saad Ali Faheem Ashraf Bilal Asif Babar Azam Mohammad Hafeez Imam-ul-Haq Mir Hamza Asad Shafiq Yasir Shah Haris Sohail Kane Williamson (c) Todd Astle Tom Blundell Trent Boult Colin de Grandhomme Matt Henry Tom Latham Henry Nicholls Ajaz Patel Jeet Raval Ish Sodhi William Somerville Tim Southee Ross Taylor Neil Wagner BJ Watling Sarfaraz Ahmed (c, wk) Shaheen Afridi Asif Ali Hasan Ali Faheem Ashraf Babar Azam Imam-ul-Haq Mohammad Hafeez Junaid Khan Shadab Khan Usman Khan Shoaib Malik Haris Sohail Imad Wasim Fakhar Zaman Kane Williamson (c) Todd Astle Trent Boult Colin de Grandhomme Lockie Ferguson Martin Guptill Matt Henry Tom Latham Colin Munro Henry Nicholls Ajaz Patel Ish Sodhi Tim Southee Ross Taylor BJ Watling George Worker Sarfaraz Ahmed (c, wk) Shaheen Afridi Asif Ali Hasan Ali Faheem Ashraf Babar Azam Sahibzada Farhan Mohammad Hafeez Shadab Khan Usman Khan Shoaib Malik Waqas Maqsood Hussain Talat Imad Wasim Fakhar Zaman Kane Williamson (c) Corey Anderson Mark Chapman Colin de Grandhomme Lockie Ferguson Martin Guptill Adam Milne Colin Munro Ajaz Patel Glenn Phillips Seth Rance Tim Seifert Ish Sodhi Tim Southee Ross Taylor
Ahead of the tour, Martin Guptill was ruled out of New Zealand's ODI and T20I squads with a calf injury. Corey Anderson, Glenn Phillips and Ajaz Patel were added to New Zealand's T20I squad before the start of the tour. Ahead of the ODI series, Lockie Ferguson, Ajaz Patel and George Worker were added to New Zealand's ODI squad. Todd Astle was ruled out of both the ODI and Test series with a knee injury with William Somerville replacing him in New Zealand's Test squad.
T20I series 1st T20I
2nd T20I
3rd T20I
ODI series 1st ODI
2nd ODI
3rd ODI
Test series 1st Test
2nd Test
3rd Test
Notes
References
External links Series home at ESPN Cricinfo