New Zealand Stars Arrive in India for One-off Test Against Afghanistan in Greater Noida | Watch

The Afghanistan Cricket Team is all set to lock horns with Test cricket powerhouse New Zealand. With the match taking place in India, the Tim Southee-led side, which will feature Kane Williamson and more, have arrived in Greater Noida. Upon their arrival, the visiting side received a hearty welcome, and the Afghanistan Cricket Board shared a video of the moment.

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Tim Southee-Led New Zealand Arrive in Greater Noida, India for One-off Test Match Against Afghanistan

Afghanistan and New Zealand will lock horns in a one-off Test match at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida. Interestingly, the venue has been Afghanistan Cricket's home ground and has hosted international matches in the past. To prepare for the match-up, the Kiwis have reached their hotel, and they received a warm welcome from the hotel staff as they were showered with flower petals. The pictures of New Zealand and Afghanistan Test teams were also on display.

New Zealand's top stars like Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Ben Sraes, and More will be a part of the series. Ravindra and Sears are already in India and have been doing their drills at Super Kings Academy, which is owned by the Chennai Super Kings. Since Ravindra is a part of the franchise, He and Sears have been training there.   

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Sadly, Rashid Khan will not be leading the side as the bowling all-rounder took some time off to address his back issues. He will not be seen in red-ball action for a while. After Afghanistan, New Zealand will face off against Sri Lanka this month in a two-match Test series. After that, the Kiwis will return to India to face off against the Men in Blue in a three-match series, which will take place from October to December 2024.   

New Zealand Squad

Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (vc), Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson, Will Young

Afghanistan's Preliminary Squad

Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Baheer Shah Mahboob, Ikram Alikhel (wk), Shahidullah Kamal, Gulbadin Naib, Afsar Zazai (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ziaurrahman Akbar, Shamsurrahman, Qais Ahmad, Zahir Khan, Nijat Masoud, Farid Ahmad Malik, Naveed Zadran, Khalil Ahmad and Yama Arab.