World Cup finalists set fresh date with T20 tour of NZ

Australia will again have separate Test and T20 sides in action next year with confirmation today of a short three-match T20 tour of New Zealand next March.

Australia earlier this week confirmed a three-format tour of Pakistan for March and April that will end a 24-year gap between visits from the senior Australian men's team.

With T20s in New Zealand on March 17, 18 and 20, the side will be without Test players, who will be mid-way through a three-Test series in Pakistan.

It will be the second successive year an Australian side missing its Test stars has played T20s in New Zealand after a touring party featuring a host of up-and-coming stars from the KFC BBL lost 3-2 earlier this year.

Test players such as David Warner, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc missed that tour despite a planned Test series in South Africa being cancelled.

The trend of Australia sending separate Test and T20 sides abroad has become a regular occurance since early in 2018 when David Warner captained a T20 team to a series victory in New Zealand while the Test squad was in South Africa ahead of a now infamous tour. 

The confirmation of the latest tour comes after Australia confirmed their spot in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand in Dubai this weekend, by beating Pakistan in a thrilling run-chase.

The Black Caps had earlier booked their spot in the final by overturning red-hot favourites England, also by five wickets.

Australia and New Zealand will meet on both sides of the Tasman this summer, with the Black Caps already confirmed to play three ODIs and a single T20 on Aussie soil from late January.

The men's T20 tour will coincide with the women's ODI World Cup also being played in New Zealand. While none of the men's matches conflict with Australia's World Cup games, the first and third T20s will overlap with key World Cup games for the White Ferns.

Cricket Australia chief Nick Hockley said the tour was important to support New Zealand Cricket in the wake of losses caused by COVID-19 pandemic.

"New Zealand's home summer schedule has been heavily impacted by the pandemic, and we are pleased to be able to support our closest neighbour with this T20I tour," Hockley said in a statement.

"As well as supporting New Zealand Cricket to host a full summer of international cricket, it will also be a great opportunity for our men's T20 team to ramp up their preparations ahead of our home T20 World Cup in October and November next year."

NZC chief executive David White said: "The impact of Covid-19 has meant a number of changes to our schedule – and we want to place on record our thanks to Cricket Australia for agreeing to send a team across the Tasman at such short notice.

"NZC and CA have always enjoyed a close relationship and we really appreciate the lengths they've gone to in order to help us."

The announcement came as NZC confirmed their full international schedule for the 2021-22 summer, with two-Test series against Bangladesh and South Africa and limited-overs matches against the Netherlands while the women have a five-match ODI series against India before the ODI World Cup. 

Dettol ODIs v New Zealand

January 30: First ODI, Optus Stadium, Perth

February 2: Second ODI, Blundstone Arena, Hobart

February 5: Third ODI, SCG, Sydney

Dettol T20 v New Zealand

February 8: Only T20, Manuka Oval, Canberra

Qantas T20 Tour of New Zealand

March 17: First T20, Sky Stadium, Wellington, 7.10pm local

March 18: Second T20, Sky Stadium, Wellington, 7.10pm local

March 20: Third T20, McLean Park, Napier, 7.10pm local