Men's games as build-up for women's tour of India

New Zealand's women's team to India will follow a similar build-up programme to that employed last year before its success in winning the CricInfo Women's World Cup.

With only three warm-up games against England before the event, the CLEAR White Ferns had a series of games with men's President's Grade teams from the Christchurch club competition.

That formula will be used again when the team for the tour meets over Labour Weekend in Christchurch with games on Sunday and Monday of that weekend.

New Zealand Cricket's women's cricket administrator Catherine Campbell said some members of the team won't have had any cricket at all by that stage of the year and it will be a chance for some match play for them.

The team will be farewelled from Auckland before leaving on November 23. They will have some net sessions after assembling and attend an official function before leaving.

The side is to be named next week, on October 2, in Christchurch.

New Zealand Cricket is making plans for the tour despite the build-up in tensions to the north of India in Pakistan and Afghanistan after the terrorist attack in New York a fortnight ago.