New Zealand to host Pakistan

New Zealand is to host Pakistan for three Tests this year after their tour to the troubled country was called off because of security concerns. New Zealand were due to tour Pakistan for three Tests, four one-day internationals and a pair of Twenty20s but the two cricket boards have now reached an agreement by which the Tests will be played in December and the limited-overs matches in the UAE in October.

While the tour details have yet to be finalised Justin Vaughan, the New Zealand Cricket chief executive, said his board did not stand to gain financially from the revised scheduling arrangements.

"All the way through our discussions, our preferred option has been to play the one-day matches at a neutral venue and the Test series in New Zealand," he told Radio Sport. "Hosting a Test series actually loses money and we don't own the broadcasting rights either. Pakistan still owns that."

Vaughan was also wary of the Test scheduling. "We need to be mindful of the weather, but the Tests won't be starting that early [in the New Zealand summer]," he said. "First-class cricket would have been going for a little while so we're not talking about a ridiculously early start for the series. But the weather here in December can be fickle so we probably need to be mindful of that."

The Otago Cricket Association chief executive, Ross Dykes, however, was optimistic of one of the Pakistan Tests being held at the University Oval in Dunedin. "I think our chances are pretty good and I see no reason why the venue would not be viewed favourably," Dykes told Otago Daily Times.

The University Oval hosted its first Test in 2007-08 but its second, New Zealand against West Indies in December 2008, was controversial because considerable time was lost to rain and the drainage facilities and ground staff came in for much criticism. "We are well aware of the shortcomings of this ground and are gradually overcoming those," Dykes said.

Teams have been wary of playing in Pakistan amid a wave of Taliban-linked attacks over two years and the ICC had to move the Champions Trophy 2008 out of Pakistan after several teams refused to travel there. It also stripped it of its World Cup matches after a deadly attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in March.

Last month it was announced that England would host Pakistan and Australia for two Tests and two Twenty20 internationals next July, after the ECB reached a staging agreement with their Pakistan counterparts.