Bulawayo’s Queens Sports Club will host its first Test in almost five years when New Zealand tour Zimbabwe in July-August 2016.

The venue is scheduled to host both Tests on the tour, which start on July 28 and August 6.

The last Test played at the Queens Sports Club was also between Zimbabwe and New Zealand, in November 2011, in which New Zealand won a close contest by 34 runs. Bulawayo has been avoided as a regular venue in the past due to accommodation and transport logistics favouring Harare Sports Club.

The ground has since hosted 17 ODIs, including matches against Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan and South Africa, and four T20s.

It will be Zimbabwe’s first Test match for almost two years, when they lost a three-match series against Bangladesh 3-0 in November 2014.

New Zealand are due to spend a significant part of the next two months in southern Africa. They are holding a camp in Johannesburg from July 11, before travelling to Zimbabwe on July 20 to play a three-day warm up game against Zimbabwe A. The Zimbabwe A side, expected to contain a number of first-choice players in preparation for the Test series, play two warm-up matches against South Africa A, starting on July 9 and July 15.

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