England’s one-day tour to Holland postponed

LONDON: England’s proposed one-day series in Holland has been postponed until May 2022 due to continuing uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic.

Eoin Morgan’s world champions were set to contest the three-match series next summer as part of the International Cricket Council’s ODI Super League, their first such trip, but both boards have agreed that the timing is “no longer a viable option”.

The Royal Dutch Cricket Association are particularly concerned about staging the matches with limited or no fans, losing out on a potentially important pay day and crucial exposure for the sport, while the England and Wales Cricket Board already face a highly congested schedule in 2021.

Ashley Giles, managing director of England men’s cricket, said: “It is disappointing that we are unable to play the Netherlands in May in what would be England’s first visit to Holland.

“Hopefully, with the prospect of crowds returning to sport soon, we can rearrange the three matches in 2022 and showcase international cricket to capacity crowds. I am sure many fans will want to travel across from England and be part of this historic ODI series.”

Roland Lefebvre, the former Somerset and Glamorgan all-rounder who now acts as high performance manager for Dutch cricket, said: “These matches would have been the biggest event in the Netherlands since the Videocon series in 2004 when India, Pakistan and Australia visited VRA Amsterdam.

“The prospect of playing the world champions in a full house is exciting, and we look forward to welcoming the team back in 2022.”