Afghanistan and New Zealand will play a one-off Test in September in Greater Noida

September 2024 will see the inaugural Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand, according to an announcement made by the ACB. Afghanistan will play its first-ever Test match against the Blackcaps from September 9–13 in Greater Noida, India. This historic match is sure to be unforgettable.

This particular match is very important because it will be the third Test played in 2024 (the most in a calendar year) and the tenth Test played by Afghanistan since they were granted Test status in 2017.

Afghanistan has also never played a Test match at the Greater Noida Sports Complex stadium, which they have adopted as their home stadium for other formats. Chairman of the ACB Mirwais Ashraf expressed his excitement for this historic occasion.

It is with great pleasure that we will be hosting a top-notch New Zealand Test team for the first time in our cricket history. This demonstrates the effort we have put in throughout our multiple side conversations and meetings with other boards during the various ICC Board Meetings, Ashraf said in a statement.

An excellent all-format team is the Blackcaps: Mirwais Ashraf

In front of their three-Test visit of India in October, it is an important preparation for New Zealand. In late August, the Afghan squad will start their preparations with a week-long camp in Delhi, while the Blackcaps will arrive in Greater Noida on September 5 for a three-day conditioning session.

This match also covers a void in Afghanistan’s schedule caused by Australia’s withdrawal from a scheduled Twenty20 International series in August, which was justified by humanitarian reasons. This Test is seen by the ACB as a first step towards more extensive bilateral agreements.

We aim to work with New Zealand Cricket to arrange bilateral white-ball matches in the future. The Blackcaps are one of the best all-format teams in the world of cricket,” he continued.

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With victories over Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, and Ireland, Afghanistan’s Test record is currently three wins and six losses. They haven’t played well in recent Tests, losing to Bangladesh in 2023 and Sri Lanka and Ireland in 2024, but this game offers them a chance to improve.