New Zealand To Tour Bangladesh After A 10-year Gap; To Play ODIs Ahead Of World Cup

New Zealand to tour Bangladesh after a 10-year gap; to play ODIs ahead of World Cup (Image Source: IANS)

Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium: The New Zealand men's cricket team will tour Bangladesh for the first tour of the country since 2013 for a split ODI and Test series.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Thursday unveiled the itinerary of New Zealand's long-awaited tour, which features three ODIs ahead of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. The white-ball series would hold significant importance for both teams in their preparations leading up to the World Cup.

The second leg of the tour comprises a two-match Test series which will be a part of the current ICC World Test Championship cycle. The red-ball clashes will take place after the World Cup in November-December.The tour by Black Caps is set to commence on September 21, with all three ODIs scheduled to take place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, near Dhaka.

Following the conclusion of the World Cup, the Test series is scheduled to start in late November. The venue for both Tests will be announced later.

The Tests are a part of the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) and the first WTC series for Bangladesh in the new cycle.

New Zealand will arrive in Bangladesh on September 14 and will play the first Day/Night ODI on September 21 followed by the next two games on September 23 and 26. The first Test will be played from November 26 to December 2 while the second will be from December 6-10.

The 2019 World Cup finalists New Zealand will begin their Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign on October 5 – the tournament opener – against the reigning champions England in Ahmedabad.

Bangladesh will begin their World Cup journey against Afghanistan on October 7 at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.

New Zealand are currently in Dubai for a T20I series against United Arab Emirates (UAE).