On Tuesday, New Zealand Cricket announced that England‘s upcoming three-Test tour will include matches scheduled in Christchurch, Wellington, and Hamilton. This tour presents an exciting prospect for cricket enthusiasts as these cities will host the thrilling Test matches. The decision underscores the strategic distribution of matches across different regions of New Zealand, providing cricket fans nationwide with the opportunity to witness top-tier international cricket action in their local stadiums.
Test Match Schedule:
The initial two encounters of the three-part World Test Championship series are slated to occur consecutively at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, commencing from November 28, followed by matches at the Basin Reserve, Wellington, starting December 6. The series’ culmination will unfold at Hamilton’s Seddon Park, kicking off on December 14.
The upcoming three-test series between England and New Zealand will be included in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Before this, England visited New Zealand for a two-test series, which was not part of the WTC cycle. The series concluded with both teams winning one match each.
During New Zealand’s recent home Tests against Australia, capacity crowds graced the stadiums for the initial three days of each match. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) anticipates a similar fervor among fans for the forthcoming five-day clashes against England. With the prospect of competitive cricket and the allure of World Test Championship contention, NZC is optimistic about drawing substantial crowds to witness the battles unfold.
The enthusiasm displayed by spectators during recent encounters underscores the country’s passion for the sport, and NZC hopes to replicate such enthusiasm during the upcoming series against England.
NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said, “In the past, there’s often been a lot of talk in New Zealand about the popularity of Test cricket – without that translating into ticket sales or viewership numbers. The difference over the past summer, and in terms of the upcoming Tests against England, is that the interest is being converted to bums on seats and is driving record viewership numbers.”
He further said, “We’re looking forward to that continuing over the upcoming summer, and to welcoming the England team and their fans to the Tests, and of course all the Kiwi-based supporters as well.”
Upcoming New Zealand’s Fixture in WTC:
New Zealand is set to host their only home Test series for the foreseeable future, welcoming England. Before this, the team embarked on a lengthy series of away fixtures. This included a one-off match against Afghanistan, succeeded by two matches in Sri Lanka, and a three-match series in India spanning September and October. The upcoming series against England thus marks a significant return to home turf following their extensive overseas campaign, providing fans with an opportunity to support their team in familiar surroundings after a series of challenging matches on foreign soil.
Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, and Instagram
