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Auckland, November 14, 2021
The defending World Test champion Blackcaps will have a chance to create history against South Africa and the White Ferns will take on India ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup, all as part of New Zealand Cricket’s international summer schedule for the 2021-2022 season.
The Blackcaps, who have never beaten South Africa in a Test series home or away, will have an opportunity to address that when they square off against the Proteas in dual Tests in late February-early March 2022, the first at the Cello Basin Reserve in Wellington and the second at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
The White Ferns will put the finishing touches on their preparations for the upcoming World Cup, to be hosted in New Zealand for the first time in 22 years, when they play India in a six-match series comprising a T20, and five ODIs.
With the Blackcaps in India until early next month and then needing to undergo managed isolation on their return, the international summer will not officially get underway until the New Year, with Tests against Bangladesh at Bay Oval and Hagley Oval, respectively.
Championship defence Tests
All four Tests will be part of the Blackcaps World Test Championship defence, and all their ODIs through the summer will carry ICC Super League status, which determines automatic qualification for the ICC World Cup 2023.
Highlights of the season will include home and away short-form series between Australia and the Blackcaps, comprising three ODIs and a T20 to be played across the Tasman in late January-early February, and three trans-Tasman T20s in New Zealand in March.
The twelve ICC member nations plus the Netherlands compete in the Super League, with the eight top-placed teams gaining automatic entry to the next World Cup.
The Blackcaps’ final commitments for the summer will be against the Netherlands, who will arrive in late March for their tour of New Zealand, having most recently visited in 2014 to play World Cup qualifiers against Kenya and Canada.
The Netherlands will open their tour with a T20 at Bay Oval ahead of playing three ODIs, the first at the University of Otago Oval in Dunedin, and the final two at Hamilton’s Seddon Park.
ICC Women’s World Cup
The ICC Women’s World Cup, postponed for a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, will be contested through March into early April, providing the headline act for the New Zealand summer and a high-profile end to the season.
New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive David White acknowledged the delay in announcing the summer schedule, saying that it was inevitable given the impact of Covid-19 both in New Zealand and abroad, and the knock-on effects on international travel.
“It has not been a straightforward process and we have needed to work through a number of unexpected changes before finalising the arrangements. Having said that, I am delighted with the volume and quality of the international cricket to be played over the summer, particularly given the importance of, and the relevance connected to these games,” he said.
Mr White said that the India series is a crucial part of the World Cup preparations by the White Ferns and that the four Tests are very important for the Blackcaps in terms of their World Test Championship defence.
Livestream on Spark Sport
“As part of the ICC Super League, the Blackcaps six ODIs carry similar significance, he said.
All internationals in New Zealand will be streamed live on Spark Sport, with the Blackcaps first T20s against Australia and the Netherlands, respectively, and the White Ferns T20 against India, also screened live and free-to-air on TVNZ.
Tickets for fixtures will go on sale in early December.
Mitchell replaces Conway for India Tests
In-form Batsman Daryl Mitchell has replaced Devon Conway in the Blackcaps Test squad for the upcoming G J Gardner Homes Tour of India.
Conway was earlier ruled out of the tour and the ICC T20 World Cup Final with a broken hand sustained in the Blackcaps semi-final win over England on Wednesday (November 10, 2021).
Conway sustained the injury when he struck his bat immediately after being dismissed in last night’s semi-final win over England in Abu Dhabi – with an X-ray today confirming a break to his right hand fifth Metacarpal.
Mitchell to stay on for Tests
Coach Gary Stead said that Conway would return home with the T20 squad after their three-game series in India next week, while Mitchell will stay on for the two Test series starting later this month.
“It is a shame for Devon to miss out on the first series of the new World Test Championship cycle, but it also offers up an opportunity for someone else. Daryl’s versatility means that he can cover a lot of batting positions and he has certainly got plenty of confidence at the moment. He has proven that he can perform in Test cricket and I know that he is excited to re-join the Test group,” he said.
Devastating for Conway
Stead said that Conway was devastated by the news.
“He is absolutely gutted to be ruled out like this at this time. Devon is hugely passionate about playing for the Blackcaps and no one is more disappointed at the moment than he is – so we are trying to rally around him. It looked like a pretty innocuous reactionary incident on the field, but the blow obviously caught the bat between the glove padding and while it’s not the smartest thing he’s done there’s certainly an element of bad luck in the injury,” he said.
The Blackcaps head to India on Monday (November 15, 2021) to begin the tour with three T20 Internationals, the first of which is on November 17 in Jaipur followed by Ranchi on November 19 and Kolkata on November 21, 2021.
The two-Test series starts in Kanpur on November 25 with the second Test in Mumbai on December 3, 2021.
Source: New Zealand Cricket
