Cricket: Black Caps lock in home schedule for summer, confident Government will approve

Gary Stead has been reappointed head coach of the Black Caps, for a three-year term.

New Zealand Cricket have locked in the Black Caps' home schedule for the summer – and now they wait, and hope.

NZ Cricket chief executive David White confirmed that the Black Caps are set to host the West Indies, Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh over the summer, but are waiting on final clearance from the New Zealand Government to ensure their plans to quarantine the visiting squads pass muster.

Following the example set by England, who were the first country to resume international cricket following the Covid-19 outbreak with test series against the West Indies and Pakistan, NZ Cricket is planning to offer facilities to opposing teams so they can train – both in the gym and the nets – while in quarantine.

The Black Caps are set to face the West Indies, Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh this summer. Photo / Photosport

While he wouldn't reveal where those facilities would be, White said he was hopeful of receiving Government clearance within the next 10 days.

"This week we've been in meetings with Government agencies talking about managed isolation and working through that detail, but I'm very confident that within the next couple of weeks we'll have an announcement of our programme. We're looking forward to a full summer," he said.

"We've got a schedule now which is finalised, subject now to just the final announcement from the Government on managed isolation, then we're good to go."

That schedule is set to begin in late November, once the Black Caps involved in the Indian Premier League return home and complete quarantine, with the West Indies the first team to visit for a series which will consist of three Twenty20 fixtures and two tests.

The schedule for the tours of Pakistan (three T20s and two tests) and Bangladesh (three T20s and three ODIs) are set to remain as originally planned in the Future Tours Programme, but Australia's separate ODI and T20 tours are likely to contract into one Twenty20 series.

The White Ferns, meanwhile, fly out to Australia next week and are set to quarantine in Brisbane ahead of three ODIs and three T20 clashes against the hosts, starting on September 26, before playing at home against Australia and England during the summer.

White says the organisation have been taking notes on how other countries have resumed play, to ensure they can follow suit.

New Zealand Cricket CEO David White. Photo / Photosport

"We've gained a lot of information from England Cricket and they've done a tremendous job.

"We've been in close contact with the BCCI as well, we're very comfortable with the processes they've got in place, and likewise with the Caribbean Premier League, they've been very vigilant with their systems. [We've had] close collaboration with all the member countries around the world."

Now, with their summer schedule in place, White is left to hope their plans aren't axed by further outbreaks or lockdowns.

"We're just hopeful it's going to go ahead and that the levels remain where they are, if not improve."