New Zealand Cricket (NZC) CEO David White said Blackcaps players can choose to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) or tour Pakistan.

New Zealand will tour Pakistan for the first time in 19 years for a historic series in January and April 2023 as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently announced the schedule and venues for the highly anticipated series.

After David. A full-strength crew is likely to tour Pakistan for the first leg of the tour, which is scheduled for December 2022 and January 2023. Two Tests, part of the ICC Test Championship, and three World Cup Super League games are part of the tour.

It will be the third SENA country to play a full-fledged series within a year, as Australia toured in April while England was on tour last month, and will return for a Test and ODI series after the 2022 T20 World Cup.

According to the announced schedule, both cricket nations will play two Tests and a three-game ODI series in the first phase from 27 December, followed by five ODIs and a five-game T20I series from April to May.

However, New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White has said many renowned Kiwi players could miss the second phase of the series due to scheduling conflicts with the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"It is our understanding that our squad will go to Pakistan in full force. I have not spoken further with the players and their federation on this," he told New Zealand media.

“But the players are allowed to play in the IPL. You are free to choose between the IPL and the Pakistan tour," he shared.

Meanwhile, White is confident these tours are safe and NZC is in touch with the government. “Our delegation visited Pakistan earlier this year. We are in touch with the embassy and our government regarding this tour," he said.

Recall that the Black Caps canceled their tour to Pakistan last year just hours before the first ODI in Rawalpindi due to undisclosed safety concerns.