Afghanistan Gears Up for Historic First-Ever Test Match Against New Zealand

Afghanistan will face New Zealand in its inaugural Test match from September 9-13 in Greater Noida, India, marking a significant milestone in Afghan cricket history. The match precedes New Zealand's three-Test series against India in October. Both teams will undergo conditioning and training camps in India before the matches.

Afghanistan is set to make history by playing its first-ever Test match against New Zealand from September 9 to 13 in Greater Noida, as announced by the country's cricket board on Saturday.

Following this historic event, the New Zealand Test squad will return to India within a month for a three-Test series against Rohit Sharma's men starting in October in Bengaluru. Greater Noida will serve as the venue for Afghanistan’s home games, according to a mutual agreement between the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

In an official statement, the ACB confirmed, "The ACB will host the New Zealand National Cricket Team for a one-off Test Match from September 9–13 in Greater Noida, India. This historic event marks Afghanistan's first Test match against the Blackcaps and the first-ever bilateral cricket series hosted by ACB involving New Zealand."

The New Zealand team is scheduled to arrive in Greater Noida on September 5 for a three-day conditioning camp prior to the Test Match, while Afghanistan will head to Delhi in late August for a one-week-long training and preparation camp.

Mirwais Ashraf, Chairman of the ACB, expressed his excitement about hosting New Zealand for the first time, stating, "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."

He added, "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." This event will be Afghanistan’s 10th Test match and their first against New Zealand since obtaining Test status in 2017. Afghanistan has previously won Test matches against Ireland (2019), Bangladesh (2019), and Zimbabwe (2021).