Bangladesh to visit New Zealand next March
New Zealand team’s home season will begin on November 27 at Eden Park and conclude on March 21 at Seddon Park, with Bangladesh, West Indies, Pakistan and Australia set to visit the country in the upcoming months.
West Indies and Pakistan will both play two Tests apiece against New Zealand that will be part of the World Test Championship, while Australia’s trip will include only T20Is.
West Indies will be the first to arrive in the country, with the Caribbean side scheduled to play three T20Is and two Tests. New Zealand take on Pakistan next, starting off with three T20Is from December 18 while the two-Test series begins on Boxing Day.
Australia play their five T20Is from February 21 to March 7 while Bangladesh start their series on March 13 with three ODIs, followed by three T20Is.
This will be the first overseas tour by the Bangladesh team following the interruption to international cricket fixtures from March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team is expected to leave for New Zealand on February 24, next year.
All of the matches will take place at different venues as per the itinerary released by the New Zealand Cricket. The series will kick-start with ODI series with the first ODI taking place at University of Otago Oval, Dunedin on March 13.
The second ODI was on March 17 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, and the venue in which Bangladesh went through a horrible experience last year when a terrorist attacked two mosques of Christchurch. Bangladeshi players narrowly escaped and the tour was abandoned immediately.
The third ODI is at Basin Reserve in Wellington on March 20.
The first T20 however will be held at McLean Park, Napier on March 23. Eden Park, Auckland will host the second T20 on March 26 while the third and final T20 is on March 28 at Seddon Park, Hamilton.
“I must compliment NZC for confirming the itinerary which was a real challenge due to the pandemic. This tour now holds added significance as we try to come out of the disruption to cricket caused by COVID-19 together and return to normalcy,” BCB CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said.
“We are really looking forward to playing in New Zealand. Bangladesh and New Zealand have established a very healthy rivalry in limited overs cricket in recent years and this series promises to be exciting and competitive.”
New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said series against Bangladesh and Australia were yet to receive government approval but he was “confident” they would.
The government last week gave the green light for the West Indies and Pakistan to arrive under strict quarantine conditions for their first 14 days in the country due to concerns over the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I’m thrilled to be making this announcement today, given the uncertainty and difficulties over the past six or seven months,” White said.
“We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the New Zealand government for helping us navigate this complex process.”
New Zealand Cricket also announced the schedule for the Super Smash, with both the men’s and women’s teams playing on the same days. This tournament will begin on Christmas Eve and conclude on February 13. Meanwhile, the New Zealand women are set to play a series against England Women in February-March, while there are also discussions ongoing with Cricket Australia for the Australia women to visit New Zealand.