New Zealand cricket calendar for summer 2022

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New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has announced the international schedule for both the men's and women's teams for the 2021-22 season. While the reigning World Test Champions, BlackCaps will have a chance to script history when they go head to head against South Africa, the White ferns side will be facing India ahead of the ICC Women's World Cup next year.

It is to be noted that the New Zealand men's cricket team has never beaten South Africa in a Test series - home or away and would look to amend the same when they meet the Proteas in a two-Test match series in February-March 2022. While the first Test of this series will be played at the Cello Basin Reserve, the second will be staged at the Hagley Oval.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's women's team will have an ideal preparation for the ODI World Cup next year in home conditions when they play India in a six-match series comprising of a solitary T20I and five ODIs.

BlackCaps 2021-22 summer to get underway in New Year

For now, the New Zealand men's team will be in India until early December and will then have to undergo managed isolation when they return. This would imply that the cricketing calendar will get underway for them only in the New Year where they will face Bangladesh in a couple of Tests at Bay Oval and Hagley Oval.

All the four Tests - two each against Bangladesh and South Africa - will be part of BlackCaps World Test Championship defence in the 2021-23 cycle. As far as the limited-overs fixtures are concerned, there will be a home and away series between Australia and New Zealand with three ODIs and a T20I in late January-early February as well as three T20Is in March.

The BlackCaps final assignment for the season will be against the Netherlands who will tour their shores in late March. The last time they visited New Zealand was in 2014 to play the World Cup qualifiers against Kenya and Canada.

"I’m delighted with the volume and quality of the international cricket to be played over the summer, particularly given the importance of, and the relevance connected to these games," NZC chief executive David White said in an official release.