*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

[ataraxia]

The Post

www.thepost.co.nz

Including away tours, that's 3 tests, 9 ODIs, and 31 T20Is next summer (assuming we make the super 8s at the T20 WC). Yeah. Wow.

 

[vandem]

... Didn't we see here some stuff about a tour to South Africa?

Cricinfo has NZ A tour to South Africa, 3 x 50 over, 2 first class, Aug - Sep.

Will be a very different team to last NZ A tour, to Aussie Aus Sep 2023, which had a few 28 - 32 year old players I don't think will be picked again: Cooper, Solia, Bruce, Leo Carter, Fletcher, Kuggeleijn, Randell, Rae and Joe Carter (didn't tour, but listed as not available due to injury).

The under 23 players on the Aussie tour were O'Rourke, Abbas and Ashok. I assume Abbas and Ashok will play for NZ A again, even if they are selected in what I presume will be an under-strength NZ sides in Zimbabwe in Jul - Aug.

 

[Skyliner]

The Post

www.thepost.co.nz

Including away tours, that's 3 tests, 9 ODIs, and 31 T20Is next summer (assuming we make the super 8s at the T20 WC). Yeah. Wow.

The light test programme in 2025 will spare our tall bowlers backs for a mammoth 2026 which will include a 3 test tour of England, an inbound 2 test tour by India, and a 4 test tour of Australia. All good things come to those who wait. Our pace attack is going to be truly formidible.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Watch as half of them get injured before the Australia tests.

 

[SteveNZ]

NZ home international cricket seasons now well and truly start in October. Next spring Bay Oval will host a 3 match T20 series in October against Australia which will be branded as a Chappell-Hadlee Series. In the same month England will visit NZ for 3 T20’s and 3 ODI’s.

T20Is are not Chappell-Hadlees. Not in this person's view.

Next summer looks similarly as ****, actually worse. 11 - ELEVEN - T20Is before Xmas, eight more away in Jan/Feb on the subcontinent, with only two Tests at home. So if you chart from December when our last Test was, to Nov 26 when India arrive, we have 2 home Tests in the space of 23 months. And two others in Zimbabwe, unless this SA series is going ahead. Thank god we get a run around 10 from Oct 26 to March 27, including the 3 (four?) in Australia

 

[Skyliner]

Jan 2026	New Zealand Tour of India Matches: 3 ODI, 5 T20 Venue: India
February 2026	New Zealand Tour of Afghanistan 2026 Matches: 3 T20 + ? Venue: Dubai / India
April 2026	New Zealand Tour of Bangladesh 2026 Matches: 3 ODI, 3 T20 Venue: Bangladesh
May 2026	New Zealand Tour of Ireland 2026 Matches: 1 Test Venue: Ireland
June 2026	New Zealand Tour of England 2026 Matches: 3 Test Venue: England
July 2026	New Zealand Tour of West Indies 2026 Matches: 3 ODI, 3 T20 Venue: West Indies
Oct - Nov 2026	India Tour of New Zealand 2026 Matches: 2 Test, 3 ODI, 5 T20 Venue: New Zealand
Dec 2026 -Jan 2027	New Zealand Tour of Australia 2026-27 Matches: 4 Test Venue: Australia
Jan - Feb 2027	Sri Lanka Tour of New Zealand 2027 Matches: 2 Test, 3 ODI, 3 T20 Venue: New Zealand
March 2027	New Zealand Tour of Pakistan 2027 Matches: 2 Test Venue: Pakistan

 

[Skyliner]

T20Is are not Chappell-Hadlees. Not in this person's view.

Next summer looks similarly as ****, actually worse. 11 - ELEVEN - T20Is before Xmas, eight more away in Jan/Feb on the subcontinent, with only two Tests at home. So if you chart from December when our last Test was, to Nov 26 when India arrive, we have 2 home Tests in the space of 23 months. And two others in Zimbabwe, unless this SA series is going ahead. Thank god we get a run around 10 from Oct 26 to March 27, including the 3 (four?) in Australia

4 tests vs Australia, locked and loaded.

‘A rare four-test series has been confirmed between the Black Caps and Australia with the venues locked in for the 2026-27 summer schedule.
Cricket Australia announced their future schedule yesterday confirming Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney will host the Black Caps.’

Black Caps to end 27-year drought with Aussie tour

A rare four-test series has been confirmed between the Black Caps and Australia.

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

[RMBolton]

Cricinfo has NZ A tour to South Africa, 3 x 50 over, 2 first class, Aug - Sep.

Will be a very different team to last NZ A tour, to Aussie Aus Sep 2023, which had a few 28 - 32 year old players I don't think will be picked again: Cooper, Solia, Bruce, Leo Carter, Fletcher, Kuggeleijn, Randell, Rae and Joe Carter (didn't tour, but listed as not available due to injury).

The under 23 players on the Aussie tour were O'Rourke, Abbas and Ashok. I assume Abbas and Ashok will play for NZ A again, even if they are selected in what I presume will be an under-strength NZ sides in Zimbabwe in Jul - Aug.

I'm guessing the List A leg will consist of potential bolters for the 2027 WC to get them some experience in African conditions. On this level, it's a bit sad that the ODI leg of the Zimbabwe tour has been shelved.

The FC leg of the tour, on the other hand, I suspect will see players who similarly need experience in African conditions. From memory, I think there's a tour to South Africa potentially in the 2027-9 WTC cycle.

T20Is are not Chappell-Hadlees. Not in this person's view.

Next summer looks similarly as ****, actually worse. 11 - ELEVEN - T20Is before Xmas, eight more away in Jan/Feb on the subcontinent, with only two Tests at home. So if you chart from December when our last Test was, to Nov 26 when India arrive, we have 2 home Tests in the space of 23 months. And two others in Zimbabwe, unless this SA series is going ahead. Thank god we get a run around 10 from Oct 26 to March 27, including the 3 (four?) in Australia

I'm not happy about the Chappell-Hadlee rebranding, personally. I'd rather have a T20 trophy named for T20I legends (Guptill-Finch?), but the decline of C-H shows the decline of ODIs seemingly in general.

The boys being away from Jan-Mar is a big problem, in that this is peak summer, peak cricket season, & the "presence" of cricket on TV is reliant on Super Smash & the WFs playing Zimbabwe. Now, there is potential for the WFs to break the 500 barrier in the ODIs & get news headlines that way, but that's about it.

 

[Bahnz]

T20Is are not Chappell-Hadlees. Not in this person's view.

Next summer looks similarly as ****, actually worse. 11 - ELEVEN - T20Is before Xmas, eight more away in Jan/Feb on the subcontinent, with only two Tests at home. So if you chart from December when our last Test was, to Nov 26 when India arrive, we have 2 home Tests in the space of 23 months. And two others in Zimbabwe, unless this SA series is going ahead. Thank god we get a run around 10 from Oct 26 to March 27, including the 3 (four?) in Australia

It's 3.

West Indies And New Zealand To Play First Non-Big Three Three-Test Series In Seven Years | Cricket News Today

West Indies and New Zealand are set to play a three-Test series next year, the first such series between two non-Big Three teams since 2019. Read more here.

www.wisden.com

 

[SteveNZ]

It's 3.

West Indies And New Zealand To Play First Non-Big Three Three-Test Series In Seven Years | Cricket News Today

West Indies and New Zealand are set to play a three-Test series next year, the first such series between two non-Big Three teams since 2019. Read more here.

www.wisden.com

Yeah nice, I was working off the future tours numbers. Three home Tests in 23 months.

5 T20Is off the back of a T20I World Cup is putrid. Absolutely putrid.

Two summers in a row without home internationals in January/Feb is also not good (yes I know Sri Lanka were here up to the 2nd week of Jan, but the majority of it). I'm prepared to write that one off, given you can't always host, but I absolutely hate the T20I stuff.

 

[SteveNZ]

4 tests vs Australia, locked and loaded.

‘A rare four-test series has been confirmed between the Black Caps and Australia with the venues locked in for the 2026-27 summer schedule.
Cricket Australia announced their future schedule yesterday confirming Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney will host the Black Caps.’

Black Caps to end 27-year drought with Aussie tour

A rare four-test series has been confirmed between the Black Caps and Australia.

www.nzherald.co.nz

And I'll be living in Australia through that summer, you beauty (the cricket watching part, not having to co-exist with Australians)

 

[Skyliner]

Does NZC get extra compensation from ICC for the fact that they are staging tournaments in February / March in consecutive years? Probably not but that scheduling punches a substantial hole in a New Zealand home summer. When normality resumes in 26/27 we will play 8 tests over the Southern Hemisphere summer months, 4 at home and 4 in Australia.

 

[RMBolton]

Does NZC get extra compensation from ICC for the fact that they are staging tournaments in February / March in consecutive years? Probably not but that scheduling punches a substantial hole in a New Zealand home summer. When normality resumes in 26/27 we will play 8 tests over the Southern Hemisphere summer months, 4 at home and 4 in Australia.

10 Tests:

• 2 vs India (H)
• 4 vs Australia (A)
• 2 vs Sri Lanka (H)
• 2 vs Pakistan (A)

The Pakistan series, I think, starts in Feb 27.

Yeah nice, I was working off the future tours numbers. Three home Tests in 23 months.

5 T20Is off the back of a T20I World Cup is putrid. Absolutely putrid.

Two summers in a row without home internationals in January/Feb is also not good (yes I know Sri Lanka were here up to the 2nd week of Jan, but the majority of it). I'm prepared to write that one off, given you can't always host, but I absolutely hate the T20I stuff.

The main upside with the SA series is that it's our first bilateral T20Is with them in nearly a decade (the Tri Series in Zimbabwe would be our first T20Is against them in that time period, full stop). I suspect that series will be double headers with their women's counterparts (the SA women will be touring at that time).

I'm pretty sure I wrote it above, but Super Smash & the White Ferns will have to try & carry next summer.

 

[Skyliner]

10 Tests:

• 2 vs India (H)
• 4 vs Australia (A)
• 2 vs Sri Lanka (H)
• 2 vs Pakistan (A)

The Pakistan series, I think, starts in Feb 27.



The main upside with the SA series is that it's our first bilateral T20Is with them in nearly a decade (the Tri Series in Zimbabwe would be our first T20Is against them in that time period, full stop). I suspect that series will be double headers with their women's counterparts (the SA women will be touring at that time).

I'm pretty sure I wrote it above, but Super Smash & the White Ferns will have to try & carry next summer.

You're absolutely right, it's the summer of 10 tests.

 

[Skyliner]

'An announcement over the future of Gary Stead will be made this week, Tuesday at the earliest, as the Black Caps coach’s contract ticks closer to expiry.
With no international cricket scheduled before the end of Stead’s contract in June, there is an increasing possibility the 53-year-old has coached his final match for his country. New Zealand’s men don’t play again until July when the Black Caps travel to Zimbabwe for two tests.
That means, unless Stead and NZ Cricket agree terms on a new contract, the Black Caps will take the field in Bulawayo under new leadership.
When asked by the Herald over Stead’s future, a spokesperson said clarity will come as early as tomorrow. Options range from Stead staying on as head coach, stepping back from the role, or potentially splitting the Black Caps job into separate red and white ball jobs.'

Stead's Black Caps future to be revealed this week

The 53-year-old's current contract expires in June.

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

[jcas0167]

Next home summer will have a similar feel about it to this one with an ICC tournament smack bang in the heart of the NZ home season, the T20 WC in India / Sri Lanka in February / March.

So infuriating and I hope NZC gets some additional compensation from the ICC for this. Once in a while you can accept but two years in a row being deprived of a meaningful home test series after Christmas is really unfair. Particularly, as we have O'Rourke and Jamieson [plus Henry, Sears, improved Duffy] at our disposal now.

 

[Northerner]

So infuriating and I hope NZC gets some additional compensation from the ICC for this. Once in a while you can accept but two years in a row being deprived of a meaningful home test series after Christmas is really unfair. Particularly, as we have O'Rourke and Jamieson [plus Henry, Sears, improved Duffy] at our disposal now.

Cant wait to see the ORourke, Sears, Henry combination together in a test series,

 

[Skyliner]

Cant wait to see the ORourke, Sears, Henry combination together in a test series,

I’d have Jamieson in there for tests. Genuinely aggressive mindset, tallest bowler we have so higher release point generating ‘steepling’ bounce, gets prodigious swing these days. A ‘must pick’ if able to stay fit.

 

[jcas0167]

 

[Skyliner]

If Steads wondering whether to bother going for the test coach role then he's clearly lacking the hunger to keep doing the job.
I think Wayne Smith expressed a bit of indifference about continuing in the head coach role when he was at the helm of the AB's, and he didn't last long after that.