New Zealand to host England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in a busy home season
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has unveiled its schedule for the men's and women's teams ahead of the home summer. The men's side will host England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, while their female counterparts will lock horns with Sri Lanka and Australia.
The season starts with a three-Test series against England, as Christchurch, Wellington, and Hamilton will be the host venues from November 28 onwards. Before traveling to Pakistan for an ODI tri-series (including the hosts and South Africa) and the Champions Trophy, the Kiwis will face Sri Lanka in three T20Is and three ODIs.
The season finishes with New Zealand hosting Pakistan for five T20Is and three ODIs. Before getting their home season underway with England, New Zealand will travel to India in October for a high-profile three-Test series.
The White Ferns' season stars on December 19 and finishes on March 26.
New Zealand cricket sees high demand for tickets for all formats
New Zealand Cricket's Head of Marketing and Communications, Stacey Geraghty, has underlined the need for the fans to purchase tickets at the earliest, given how the demand has been increasing since last year. As quoted by NZC.NZ, she said:
"We saw some significant changes in the way people consumed international cricket last year. Not only were the Tests and the bigger white ball fixtures selling out, but we were receiving more engagement from younger fans, those in the 16-34 age bracket. There was a buzz we hadn’t felt for a while and we’re feeling it again as we approach the 2024-25 summer."
The Black Caps faced a group-stage exit in the T20 World Cup 2024. It was the first instance of New Zealand failing to make it out of the group stage of a T20 World Cup edition. They suffered losses against Afghanistan and the West Indies from winning positions. Kane Williamson's men managed to beat Papua New Guinea and Uganda convincingly to close their campaign.