Auckland: The New Zealand Cricket Board has decided that they will take the World Test Championship Final (WTC Final) winning mace on a week-long nationwide tour of New Zealand later in July.
This tour is seen as the big celebration of New Zealand winning a major international trophy only for the second time after the 2000 Women's World Cup triumph. The tour will involve selected New Zealand cricketers and support staff assembling at each of the cities on the route. The tour will reach Whangarei on Monday, July 26, and then to visit Auckland on 27 July, Tauranga & Hamilton on 28, New Plymouth & Palmerston North on 29 July, Wellington on 30 July, Christchurch on 31 and Dunedin, and Invercargill on 1 August 2021.
NZC chief executive David White gave more information about the tour. Earlier, it was decided that there will not be any celebrations due to Covid-19, but that decision has changed, it looks like.
"It's quickly become apparent that Kiwis want an opportunity to be part of, and to share in this historic achievement," said White in a release. "We've been inundated with requests to do something so that New Zealanders can join in with the team and share the moment. At first, we thought the time-out in managed isolation and the length of time since the win would dampen enthusiasm for a public celebration, but we have been persuaded to think again."
"This is just as much a chance for our BLACKCAPS to say thank you to New Zealanders as anything else, and for NZC to express its gratitude to the country for creating an environment in which this was even possible," added David White.