Afghanistan are set to face New Zealand in a one-off Test which is scheduled to begin in September in India.
The Test match will be played from September 9 to 13 at Greater Noida. It will be the first time the two teams will face each other in the longest format of the game.
Afghanistan have shown great performances off late in the international arena. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, they overpowered Australia to cement their place in the semi-finals of an ICC event for the very first time.
It will be Afghanistan’s 10th Test match overall and their third in the ongoing year.
It will be their first Test at the mentioned venue as well, a venue which previously served as Afghanistan’s adopted ground.
During this time New Zealand will also tour to India for a three-match Test series. The first Test of the series will begin on October 16. The Black Caps are also due to visit Sri Lanka during this timeframe. However, the dates are yet to be announced.
“We are delighted to host a quality New Zealand Test team for the first time in our cricketing history. This is a testament to the hard work we have put in through numerous discussions and meetings with different boards on the sidelines of the various ICC Board Meetings,” ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf said. “The Black Caps are an outstanding all-format team in world cricket, and we hope to reach an agreement with New Zealand Cricket for white-ball bilateral matches in the future.”
Afghanistan is yet to face Pakistan, Australia, England, and South Africa in the Test format of the game. However, it is unlikely that Afghanistan will ever face Australia in a bilateral series.
Australia pulled out from hosting them in 2021 citing hamartian reasons as Taliban took over Afghanistan and did not allow women for basic facilities like education and sports.
Similarly, Australia had also pulled out of a three-match T20 series which was scheduled for August, this year. So, a void which will be filled by this Test match against New Zealand.
Afghanistan is yet to win a Test match since 2021 when they beat Zimbabwe in UAE. In the ongoing year they suffered defeats from Sri Lanka and Ireland.
Although the side has shown massive improvement in limited-over cricket, this side needs to show promise and improvement both in the longest format of the game.
