England's ODI series in the Netherlands postponed until 2022 due to coronavirus pandemic
England were due to visit Netherlands for three ODIs in May 2021 but games have been pushed back to 2022 with fears of limited or no fans able to attend due to the coronavirus pandemic; matches will form part of Men's Cricket World Cup Super League
Friday 27 November 2020 11:24, UK
England's ODI series against Netherlands has been postponed until May 2022 due to ongoing uncertainty regarding the Covid-19 pandemic.
England were due to make their first tour to Netherlands in May 2021 and play three 50-over matches as part of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League.
However, The Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) were concerned about having limited or perhaps no spectators at the games, so the series has been pushed back a year.
England's managing director of men's cricket, Ashley Giles, 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 high performance manager at KNCB, added: "The KNCB is disappointed for the Super League fixtures against England to be postponed. These matches would have been the biggest event in the Netherlands since 2004 when India, Pakistan and Australia visited.
"The prospect of playing the World Champions in a full house is exciting, and we look forward to welcoming the team back in 2022. We are very grateful for the cooperation we received from the ECB to make this happen."
Netherlands are the only Associate Nation in the 13-team Cricket World Cup Super League, in which the top eight teams will qualify automatically for the 2023 World Cup in India.
