MCG Boxing Day test confirmed for Black Caps
New Zealand’s first Boxing Day test in 32 years at the Melbourne Cricket Ground has been confirmed for the 2019-20 summer.
The news comes with the release of the International Cricket Council’s Future Tours Programme which governs the cricketing schedule through to 2023.
Playing at the MCG is one of the sport’s most hallowed traditions. An entire New Zealand generation of cricketers and fans have gone without until now.
The 2019-20 summer provides another potential highlight for New Zealand, with visits from England (two tests and five T20s), India (two tests, three ODIs and five T20s) and Australia (three T20s). The new oneday international qualification league and world test championship are among other features of the FTP.
The test arrangement will culminate in a final at Lord’s in June 2021.
The points allocation system will be confirmed at a later date.
The nine top-ranked sides will participate in the inaugural edition, which will run from July 15, 2019 to April 30, 2021.
The sides will play six series in the two-year cycle on a home-andaway basis against mutually selected opponents. The two topranked sides progress to the final.
The Black Caps’ test championship debut is against Sri Lanka next August.
The ODI system will provide automatic World Cup qualification for the top eight ranked sides.
The 12 test-playing nations and the Netherlands will take part in the 13-team league, which will run from May 1, 2020 to March 31, 2022.
All sides will play eight series over a two-year cycle on a home-andaway basis against agreed opponents.
NZC chief executive David White said the new FTP brought more relevance and context into test and ODI cricket.
“We can farewell what used to be known as neutral games, and introduce interest into every fixture, no matter which side is playing.
“There are a number of highlights there, with all the marquee teams visiting and some eagerly awaited contests looming — not least those 2019-20 tests against England, Australia and India.”
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said it represented a move in the right direction.
“It’s hard to go past the three-match test series in Australia next year as a highlight. I think all New Zealanders will have a circle around that one.”
The idea of New Zealand’s return to a MCG test was first mooted in 2015 when the West Indies’ were trounced by 177 runs and brought in a crowd of 127,000, the lowest tally in the last 22 tests at the venue.
The Black Caps next tour to Australia had been pencilled in for the 2020-21 summer, but was brought forward. There can be few doubts New Zealand have earned the right to play at the venue.
The only possible down side is that New Zealand Cricket sacrifice a potential opportunity to earn revenue from fixtures at home, but that should be more than matched by the interest an MCG fixture will generate in the game.
New Zealand next play tests away against Pakistan in OctoberNovember before hosting visits from Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh next summer.