Zimbabwe to host 1st Boxing Day Test match after 28 years, set to battle Afghanistan in Bulawayo

Zimbabwe will host Afghanistan for a two-match Test series in 2024/25. The series starts on Boxing Day, which falls on December 26, 2024. The second Test will be the New Year's Test, and both Tests will happen in Bulawayo.

Twenty-eight years have passed since Zimbabwe hosted a Boxing Day Test. The only previous occasion of the country hosting a Boxing Day Test was in 1996 when they hosted England. That Test took place in Harare, and rain interruptions forced the match into a draw.

Earlier today (October 29), Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani announced the home Test series against Afghanistan. The African side will also host the Afghan team for three T20Is and three ODIs in Harare before the Tests begin.

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"Boxing Day and New Year's Test matches are iconic cricket fixtures that we are delighted to be adding to our calendar this festive season and we are looking forward to celebrating in style one of the finest traditions in the sport's long history," Mukuhlani said in a media release.

The last time Zimbabwe participated in a Boxing Day Test match was back in 2017 when they visited South Africa for a contest in Gqeberha. The Proteas won that Test by an inning and 120 runs inside three days only.

Meanwhile, this will be Afghanistan's first Boxing Day Test match. In fact, the Afghan team has never played a Test in December ever before. They played two Tests against Zimbabwe in March 2021, where both teams won one match each. Here is the complete schedule for the upcoming tour:

Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 2024/25 schedule

1st T20I - December 9, Harare

2nd T20I - December 11, Harare

3rd T20I - December 12, Harare

1st ODI - December 15, Harare

2nd ODI - December 17, Harare

3rd ODI - December 19, Harare

1st Test - December 26-30, Bulawayo

2nd Test - January 2-6, 2025, Bulawayo.

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