Cricket will be back for New Zealand men’s team as their home season will start from November 27at Eden Park and conclude on March 21 at Seddon Park. Meanwhile, four teams will tour the country, namely, West Indies, Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh.
Windies and Pakistan will play two Test matches each against New Zealand, which will be a part of the World Test Championship. Australia, on the other hand, will play only T20Is against the Kiwis.
In this hectic schedule, New Zealand play West Indies first for two Tests and three T20Is. New Zealand then take on Pakistan in a series that starts three T20Is from December 18 while the two-Test series begins on Boxing Day.
After West Indies and Pakistan, New Zealand face arch-rivals Australia in a five-match T20I series between February 21 to March 7. The Kiwis then host Bangladesh from March 13 with three ODIs, followed by three T20Is.
“I’m thrilled to be making this announcement today, given the uncertainty and difficulties over the past six or seven months. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the New Zealand government for helping us navigate this complex process, as we do to our commercial partners and especially Spark Sport and TVNZ, for their patience and understanding” said New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White.
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“Hosting these tours is incredibly important to us for two reasons: international cricket brings in revenue that funds the entire game of cricket in New Zealand and, also, it’s crucial that we look after the fans of the game and sport in general, especially during these difficult times,” added White further.
The NZ Cricket chief also thanked the Australian cricket board for sending a T20I squad at a time while there is a Test series to be played against South Africa around the same time.
“We’ve worked very closely with Cricket Australia in what is, really, a unique set of circumstances – and we can’t speak highly enough of their commitment to the global game. The same goes for the West Indies, Pakistan, Bangladesh and England – right across the board in cricket there’s been a real spirit of cooperation” said white.
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Here is the complete schedule of New Zealand’s Home Season:
New Zealand vs West Indies
Fri, 27 Nov – 1st T20I, Eden Park, Auckland
Sun, 29 Nov – 2nd T20I, Bay Oval, Tauranga
Mon, 30 Nov – 3rd T20I, Bay Oval, Tauranga
Thu, 03 Dec – Mon 07 Dec – 1st Test Seddon Park, Hamilton
Fri, 11 Dec – Tue 15 Dec – 2nd Test Basin Reserve, Wellington
New Zealand vs Pakistan
Fri, 18 Dec – 1st T20I, Eden Park, Auckland
Sun, 20 Dec – 2nd T20I, Seddon Park, Hamilton
Tue, 22 Dec – 3rd T20I, McLean Park, Napier
Sat, 26 Dec – Wed, 30 Dec – 1st Test, Bay Oval, Tauranga
Sun, 03 Jan – Thu, 07 Jan – 2nd Test, Hagley Oval, Christchurch
New Zealand vs Australia
Mon, 22 Feb – 1st T20I, Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Thu, 25 Feb – 2nd T20I, University of Otago Oval, Dunedin
Wed, 03 Mar – 3rd T20I, Sky Stadium, Wellington
Fri, 05 Mar – 4th T20I, Eden Park, Auckland
Sun, 07 Mar – 5th T20I, Bay Oval, Tauranga
New Zealand vs Bangladesh
Sat, 13 Mar – 1st ODI, University of Otago Oval, Dunedin
Wed, 17 Mar – 2nd ODI, Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Sat, 20 Mar – 3rd ODI, Basin Reserve, Wellington
Tue, 23 Mar – 1st T20I, McLean Park, Napier
Fri, 26 Mar – 2nd T20I, Eden Park, Auckland
Sun, 28 Mar – 3rd T20I, Seddon Park, Hamilton
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