The University of Otago Oval will host a twenty20 match between the Black Caps and Australia on February 25, and then it will host a one-dayer against Bangladesh on March 13.
The twenty20 match against Australia is sure to attract a lot of interest.
It will be the first time Australia has played an international at the venue and its first game in Dunedin since its one-dayer in February 2000.
That game was memorable for the Brett Lee bouncer which knocked Adam Parore’s helmet off his head on to the stumps.
The Black Caps will launch their home season with a T20 against the West Indies at Eden Park on November 27.
Included in the season of international cricket are four tests, two against the West Indies and then two against Pakistan, the first of which will be a Boxing Day Test at Tauranga’s Bay Oval.
The Black Caps are in fourth place on the inaugural Test Match Championship ladder and a strong performance in each series will greatly enhance their chances of
qualifying for the final, scheduled for next June.
The first test against Pakistan at Bay Oval will be the eighth Boxing Day Test in New Zealand and the first since the Black Caps beat Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval in 2018.
The White Ferns can also look forward to an exciting summer of international cricket.
The England women’s side confirmed to visit in February and March, and discussions ongoing regarding a visit from the Australia women.
While the Government has so far granted approval for the first two incoming teams, New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White was confident the other inbound tours would receive the green light.
White said NZC was aware of the challenging circumstances in which many New Zealanders had found themselves in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis and would be cutting the price of a general admission adult ticket by almost half, to acknowledge this.
“It might sound counter-intuitive to be lowering ticket prices at a time of great additional cost and expense to the game, but we think it’s the right thing to do”, he said.
Australia will arrive in February and will play five T20s.
Bangladesh has three ODIs and three T20s scheduled for March.
