Bay of Plenty cricket fans can feel the thrill of facing and striking a real ball via augmented-reality simulator at November’s Black Caps-India matches at Bay Oval.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has partnered with global sports technology company BatFast to bring the interactive cricket experience to venues across the country during the Hero Vida India tour of New Zealand, Powered by Ai+ Nova Smartphone.

The India tour begins on October 22. The action comes to Tauranga’s Bay Oval on November 13 and 15, when the Black Caps take on India from 3pm.

The ANZ BatZone will give fans the chance to pick up a bat, test their skills and take part in BatFast’s augmented-reality cricket simulator.

The free-to-play activation will feature at matches in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga between October 22 and December 1.

Fans will be able to face a range of delivery types, with every shot mapped on a digital wagon wheel.

Built-in registration and queue management will keep the experience moving, while live on-site and online leaderboards let participants compare scores.

NZC chief commercial and marketing officer Glenn Critchley said the interactive experience promised fans an elite game-day activation.

“NZC is delighted to be teaming up with BatFast and ANZ to bring the experience to our country for the first time this summer,” he said.

“We’re always looking for ways to connect Kiwis with the game, build on our match-day experience and our engagement with the community and we can think of no one better than BatFast to bring a genuinely world-class experience to cricket fans across Aotearoa.”

BatFast senior commercial manager Jack Roddick said the simulator was a major opportunity to connect with fans.

“Sport is at its most powerful when people have the opportunity to participate, not simply watch,” he said.

“This partnership gives us an incredible platform to turn the excitement around one of the biggest series of the summer into active participation.”

Tickets to the Hero Vida India tour of New Zealand are for sale at tickets.nzc.nz.