New Zealand Arrive In India To Play One-Off Test Match Against Afghanistan In Greater Noida

New Delhi: The New Zealand team led by Tim Southee have arrived in the national capital on Thursday to play the one-off Test match against Afghanistan, starting next week. The 2021 World Test Champions landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi at 5:40 AM and headed straight to Greater Noida, their venue for the Test match against Afghanistan. The Afghanistan vs New Zealand will start on September 9 at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex.

Afghanistan have previously played in India as host with the BCCI providing them with infrastructural facilities. However, the one-off Test match. So far, Afghanistan have played nine Test matches, including three on Indian grounds. They made their Test debut against India in Bengaluru in 2018 before hosting Ireland (2019) and West Indies (2019).

After the Test match against Afghanistan, New Zealand head to Sri Lanka for two WTC matches, starting September 18 and 26, respectively. Meanwhile, former cricketer Jacob Oram has been appointed as the New Zealand bowling coach, taking over the role vacated by Shane Jurgensen in November.

The 229-capped international began his transition into coaching in 2014 as bowling coach with New Zealand A, and took up the role of New Zealand women’s bowling coach in 2018, supporting the team through to the end of the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand in 2021. He has also served as the Northern Warriors assistant coach in the Abu Dhabi T10 league and as bowling coach of Mumbai Indians Cape Town in the SA20.

New Zealand Squad vs Afghanistan: Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (vc), Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson, Will Young