New Zealand will host Zimbabwe for the first time in 11 years as part of a home international schedule early next year that also features South Africa.
New Zealand has long-standing travel sanctions on sports teams from Zimbabwe due to alleged human rights abuses by President Robert Mugabe’s government but agreed to waive them this month provided the political situation did not deteriorate.
New Zealand Cricket said yesterday that the Zimbabwe cricket team’s tour would take place from January 26 to February 14.
It will include a one-off Test match, three One-Day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches. South Africa will tour from February 17 to March 27, playing three Tests, three one-dayers and three Twenty20s.
“It will be a very challenging summer of international cricket and we are looking forward to taking on South Africa and Zimbabwe at home in front of our fans,” new Black Caps captain Ross Taylor said.
“South Africa are currently ranked second in the world Test rankings so the three-Test series against them will be an excellent gauge of our progress.”
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said no matches had been scheduled for Christchurch, where the city’s AMI Stadium has been closed since February’s devastating earthquake that killed 181 people.
He said the venue’s operators had been unable to guarantee the stadium would be ready to host international cricket early next year because of the impact of ongoing aftershocks.
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Instead Whangarei’s Cobham Oval has been handed its first international fixture — a one-day clash between the Black Caps and Zimbabwe. New Zealand v Zimbabwe
Jan 26-30: Only Test, McLean Park, Napier Feb 3 — 1st ODI, University Oval, Dunedin Feb 6 — 2nd ODI, Cobham Oval, Whangarei Feb 9 — 3rd ODI, McLean Park, Napier Feb 12 — Twenty20, Eden Park, Auckland Feb 14 — 2nd Twenty20, Seddon Park, Hamilton New Zealand v South Africa Feb 17 — Twenty20, Westpac Stadium, Wellington Feb 19 — 2nd Twenty20, Seddon Park, Hamilton Feb 22 — 3rd Twenty20, Eden Park, Auckland Feb 25 — 1st ODI, Westpac Stadium, Wellington Feb 29, 2nd ODI: McLean Park, Napier March 3 — 3rd ODI, Eden Park, Auckland March 7-11 — 1st Test, University Oval, Dunedin March 15-19 — 2nd Test, Seddon Park, Hamilton March 23-27 — 3rd Test, Basin Reserve, Wellington.
