Afghanistan and New Zealand set to play one-off Test in September
This will be the first time the two teams face off in the longest format
ESPNcricinfo staff
26-Jul-2024 • Updated on 27-Jul-2024
Afghanistan are set to play their third Test in 2024 • AFP/Getty Images
Afghanistan are set to face New Zealand in a one-off Test in September. The match will be played in Greater Noida in India. This will be the first time the two teams face each other in the longest format.
This will be Afghanistan's 10th Test, and their third in 2024 - the most they would have played in a calendar year.
It will also be their first Test at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground, which has previously served as Afghanistan's adopted home ground.
The Test is likely to be from September 9 to 13. That's roughly one month before New Zealand's three-Test tour of India, with the first of those games set to begin on October 16. New Zealand will tour Sri Lanka for a Test series in between - 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 Blackcaps 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."
Following the New Zealand Test, England, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa will be the only countries to not have played against Afghanistan in a Test match yet. Australia had pulled out from hosting them in a Test in 2021 citing humanitarian reasons.
Australia had also pulled out of three-match T20I series scheduled for August this year, meaning Afghanistan had a hole in their schedule which will be partly filled by this New Zealand Test
In their two Tests so far in 2024, Afghanistan have lost to Sri Lanka and Ireland. They had also lost their one-off Test in Bangladesh last year, and their last win in the format came in March 2021, when they beat Zimbabwe in the UAE. In all, Afghanistan have a commendable 3-6 win-loss record in their first nine Tests.