New Zealand will host their Trans-Tasman rivals Australia in Tests for the first time since 2016. Basin Reserve in Wellington and Christchurch's Hagley Oval will host the two games in February and March. New Zealand's men's team also welcome South Africa in the same month for two Tests - to be held at Bay Oval in Tauranga and Seddon Park in Hamilton. This will be New Zealand's latest attempt to break their duck against a side who they have never beaten in the format at home or away. The men's team's home summer kicks off on December 17 with the ODI and T20I series against Bangladesh, which is then followed by five T20Is against Pakistan between January 12 and 21, further ramping up their preparation for the T20 World Cup. While the Bangladesh fixtures will be played across four venues - Dunedin, Nelson, Napier and Tauranga, the Pakistan fixtures will be held in Auckland, Hamilton, Dunedin and Christchurch.
New Zealand's home summer consists of 32 international fixtures, starting off with Sophie Devine's side taking on Pakistan in the first of the three T20Is in Dunedin on December 3. This will be followed by as many ODIs until December 18, that will be part of the ICC Women's Championship. They will however not play another home game until March 19, when they host England for five T20Is and three ODIs - in Dunedin, Nelson, Wellington and Hamilton. It's a hugely exciting time for cricket in New Zealand, both in terms of the great series and teams on offer this summer, and the ability for fans to either attend the matches first-hand or watch live on TV at no charge," NZC chief executive David White said. While devising their schedule, New Zealand Cricket also decided to have no fewer than 10 double-headers - addressing the dual need of luring different audiences as well as enhancing the efficiency of the schedule in times of climate change awareness."In terms of venues with lights, we've been able to schedule several back-to-back night matches and day matches to ensure good opportunities for both families and adult patrons, respectively, which we think is good for the game. It's a strategy that also complements our need to prioritise energy efficiency - and to just do the right thing as a sports organisation, given the challenges we're facing from climate change these days," White said.
