New Zealand announce home Test series against South Africa, Australia

New Zealand are set to welcome South Africa and Australia to their shores for a Test series, as they announce their fixtures of the 2023-24 summer.

The Blackcaps who have never won a Test series against the Proteas, home or away, will square off at Tauranga and Hamilton before they take on World Test Champions Australia at home for the first time since 2016 in Wellington and Christchurch.

On top of the high-octane Test series, New Zealand will also play ODI and T20I series against Bangladesh in December, followed by a five-match T20I series against Pakistan in January 2024 and three more against Australia after that.

As a result of this newly added T20Is against Pakistan, the West Indies series against Pakistan in January 2024 has now been pushed back by a year to January 2025.

The White Ferns too will be in action against Pakistan Women against whom they'll play an ODI and T20I series after returning home from their white-ball tour of South Africa between September 24 and October 15. They will also play five T20Is and three ODIs against England Women, who will also bring their A team to play a white-ball series against New Zealand A.

The New Zealand men's and women's teams will also be in action on the same day. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has announced "no fewer than 10 double-headers" in a bid to cater to both sets of audiences which would "enhance the efficiency of its playing programme in an era of climate change awareness."

"In terms of venues with lights, we've been able to schedule several back-to-back night matches and day matches to ensure good opportunities for both families and adult patrons, respectively, which we think is good for the game. It's a strategy that also complements our need to prioritise energy efficiency - and to just do the right thing as a sports organisation, given the challenges we're facing from climate change these days," NZC chief executive David White said.

New Zealand's home summer, which consists of 32 matches will begin with the White Ferns taking on Pakistan in the first of three T20Is on December 3 in Dunedin. 

The Blackcaps' immediate fixtures include three T20Is against UAE in August followed by a white-ball tour of England in August-September. Their home summer will kickstart on December 17 with the white-ball series agianst Bangladesh.