New Zealand Cricket have released the schedules for their upcoming home series’ against West Indies, Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh.
The Blackcaps last played an international fixture way back in March – a behind-closed-doors ODI against Australia in Sydney – and have since been out of action amid the global health crisis.
However, an action-packed summer is now in the offing with four international teams poised to tour the country.
The West Indies were the first international side to sign up for bio-secure bubbles when they toured England between June and August, and they will be New Zealand’s first opponents.
WI will face the Blackcaps in a three-match T20I series in late November, before playing Test matches at Seddon Park and the Basin Reserve in December.
Pakistan will then arrive in New Zealand for T20I and Test series’ of the same length, with the five-day fixtures taking place at the Bay and Hagley Ovals.
New Zealand will then take on Australia in five T20Is between February and early March, as both sides gear up for the 2021 World Cup, before Bangladesh arrive to complete the summer with a white-ball tour.
The Tigers will play the first of three ODIs on 13 March and the last of three T20Is at Seddon Park on 28 March.
New Zealand have dealt with the health crisis much more effectively than many other countries around the globe, which is evidenced by the expectation than fans will be able to attend all of these fixtures.
In an impressive gesture, New Zealand Cricket have decided to cut general admission ticket prices by almost half ahead of the series’, to make the matches accessible even for those who have been hit hard financially in recent months.
“It might sound counter-intuitive to be lowering ticket prices at a time of great additional cost and expense to the game, but we think it’s the right thing to do,” NZC chief executive David White told nzc.nz.
Some Blackcaps white-ball players have been in action in various T20 leagues, with the likes of Ish Sodhi and Ross Taylor featuring in the recently concluded CPL, while Kane Williamson and Jimmy Neesham are currently on IPL duty in the UAE.
However, after over six months without international cricket, all New Zealand stars will be raring get back into action for their country, with West Indies, Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh set to provide stiff opposition.