New Zealand Cricket today announced the schedule for The National Bank Series of international cricket for the 2010/11 season.
Pakistan will tour the country from late December until the start of February, playing the BLACKCAPS in The National Bank Series comprising two Tests, six One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20 internationals.
"As part of our lead-in to the ICC Cricket World Cup, we have agreed with the Pakistan Cricket Board to play more short-form cricket to prepare optimally," said NZC Chief Executive Justin Vaughan.
"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. The mix of games also makes it easier to fit into what is a condensed window of international cricket this season," he said.
The tour will kick-start with three Twenty20 internationals in the week between Christmas and New Year. The two Tests will then be played in early January, before the ODI series takes the tour through to its conclusion on February 5.
The BLACKCAPS are scheduled to leave for India on February 8 for their ICC World Cup warm-up matches.
With the format and dates of the Pakistan tour finalised, NZC expects to be able to quickly conclude the schedules for all forms of domestic cricket.
"The shape of the international schedule allows the maximum opportunity for BLACKCAP participation in the domestic Twenty20 competition and also to provide a real focus on Twenty20 during the period from early December to early January for both domestic and international cricket," Vaughan said.
The series match schedule is:
Twenty20 Internationals
26 Dec 10 – BLACKCAPS v Pakistan, Eden Park, Auckland
28 Dec 10 – BLACKCAPS v Pakistan, Seddon Park, Hamilton
30 Dec 10 – BLACKCAPS v Pakistan, AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Test matches
7-11 Jan 11 - BLACKCAPS v Pakistan, Seddon Park, Hamilton
15-19 Jan 11 - BLACKCAPS v Pakistan, Allied Nationwide Finance Basin Reserve, Wellington
One-Day Internationals
22 Jan 11 - BLACKCAPS v Pakistan, Westpac Stadium, Wellington
26 Jan 11 - BLACKCAPS v Pakistan, Queenstown Events Centre, Queenstown
29 Jan 11 - BLACKCAPS v Pakistan, AMI Stadium, Christchurch
1 Feb 11 - BLACKCAPS v Pakistan, McLean Park, Napier
3 Feb 11 - BLACKCAPS v Pakistan, Seddon Park, Hamilton
5 Feb 11 - BLACKCAPS v Pakistan, Eden Park, Auckland