India to take on New Zealand ahead of ICC Women's World Cup 2022

Christchurch [New Zealand], November 12 (ANI): The New Zealand women's cricket team will take on India ahead of the ICC Women's World Cup 2022.
The Women in Blue will put the finishing touches on their preparations for the upcoming World Cup, to be hosted in New Zealand for the first time in 22 years, when they play White Ferns in a six-match series comprising a T20, and five ODIs.
The ICC Women's World Cup, postponed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be contested through March into early April, providing the headline act for the New Zealand summer and a high-profile end to the season.
Meanwhile, the defending World Test champion Black Caps will have a chance to create history against South Africa. The New Zealand men's cricket team who have never beaten South Africa in a Test series home or away will have a chance to address that when they square off against the Proteas in dual Tests in late February-early March, the first at the Cello Basin Reserve and the second at Hagley Oval.
With the Black Caps in India until early next month and then needing to undergo managed isolation on their return, the international summer will not officially get underway until the New Year, with Tests against Bangladesh at Bay Oval and Hagley Oval, respectively.
All four Tests will be part of the NZ's World Test Championship defence, and all their ODIs through the summer will carry ICC Super League status - which determines automatic qualification for the ICC World Cup 2023.
Highlights of the season will include a home and away short-form series between Australia and the Kiwis, comprising three ODIs and a T20 to be played across the Tasman in late January-early February, and three trans-Tasman T20s in New Zealand in March.
New Zealand's final commitments for the summer will be against the Netherlands, who will arrive in late March for their tour of New Zealand, having most recently visited in 2014 to play World Cup qualifiers against Kenya and Canada.
The Netherlands will open their tour with a T20 at Bay Oval ahead of playing three ODIs, the first at the University of Otago Oval in Dunedin, and the final two at Hamilton's Seddon Park.
NZC chief executive David White acknowledged the delay in announcing the summer schedule, explaining it was inevitable given the impact of COVID-19 both in New Zealand and abroad, and the knock-on effects on international travel.
"It hasn't been a straightforward process and we've needed to work through a number of unexpected changes before finalizing the arrangements," White said in a statement.
"Having said that, I'm delighted with the volume and quality of the international cricket to be played over the summer, particularly given the importance of, and the relevance connected to these games. The India series is a crucial part of the WHITE FERNS' World Cup preparations."
"The four Tests are very important for the BLACKCAPS in terms of their World Test Championship defence. And, as part of the ICC Super League, the BLACKCAPS' six ODIs carry similar significance," he added. (ANI)