Afghanistan will face New Zealand in a one-off Test match in September, marking the first time the two teams will compete in this format. The game will take place at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground in India, which Afghanistan has adopted as their home ground. The Test will run from September 9 to 13, just before New Zealand’s three-Test tour of India, starting October 16. New Zealand will play a Test series in Sri Lanka between these tours, but the dates are not yet announced.
This Test will be Afghanistan’s 10th in their history and their third in 2024, the most they have played in a single year. It will also be Afghanistan’s first Test at Greater Noida, adding a new venue to their experience.
Following this match, only England, Australia, Pakistan, and South Africa will remain as the teams that have not yet played a Test against Afghanistan. Australia had previously withdrawn from hosting Afghanistan for a Test in 2021 due to humanitarian concerns and also pulled out of a three-match T20I series scheduled for August this year. They will now partly fill this gap in their schedule with the upcoming Test against New Zealand.
In 2024, Afghanistan lost Test matches to Sri Lanka and Ireland, and Bangladesh defeated them last year. Their most recent Test win came in March 2021 against Zimbabwe, leaving them with a 3-6 record in their first nine Tests.
