Afghanistan are all set to host New Zealand in a one-off Test match in September. The match will be played from September 9-13 in the Greater Noida Area, India.
Afghanistan have played against a few other teams at the venue and will host New Zealand there as well. They recently defeated the Kiwis in the T20 World Cup and this match will mark their first-ever Test match against New Zealand.
This will be the 10th Test match for Afghanistan overall. They have won matches against Ireland (2019), Bangladesh (2019), and Zimbabwe (2021) since gaining Test status in 2017.
Speaking about New Zealand, they have played Test matches against Bangladesh, South Africa, and Australia since 2023. They lost the first Test against Bangladesh and came back to win the second Test to level the series 1-1.
Against South Africa, they won three back-to-back Test matches and they lost two on the trot against West Indies. They are currently placed third on the WTC points table with three wins and three losses from six matches with a PCT of 50. They play their next Test series against India in October-November followed by three Test matches against England in November-December.
Afghanistan are still very new to Test cricket and playing against the Kiwis should be a good experience. ACB Chairman Mr. Mirwais Ashraf expressed his excitement about hosting New Zealand for the first time and said: “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.”
“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” he added further.
This will be the first meeting between these sides since Afghanistan comprehensively beat New Zealand in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
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Afghanistan Defeated New Zealand In T20 World Cup 2024
Earlier this year, Australia also pulled out of a three-match T20I series scheduled for August, leaving a gap in Afghanistan’s calendar that will now be partly filled by the upcoming New Zealand Test. In their two Tests so far in 2024, Afghanistan have faced defeats against Sri Lanka and Ireland. They have won three matches and lost six in their first nine Test matches. They lost their last Test series against Bangladesh last year having won their last game in this format in 2021.
Afghanistan made a terrific performance in this T20 World Cup beating teams like New Zealand and Australia and making it to the semi-final of the tournament. This was the first time ever Afghanistan made it to the semi-finals of any ICC event.
They unfortunately lost to South Africa in the first semi-final getting bowled out for just 56. The pitch in Trinidad came under huge criticism after the Asian side was rolled over. Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahhmanullah Gurbaz was the top-scorer in the T20 World Cup scoring 281 runs from 8 games at an average of 35.12.
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