Centurion, November 28: Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond (KNCB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) mutually agreed to postpone Netherlands’ ongoing tour of South Africa after concerns emerged over the emergence of a new COVID variant in the country.
The two teams contested in the first ODI of the series in Centurion but the second and the third matches, scheduled to take place at the same venue won’t go ahead. The two matches were set to take place on 28 November (Monday) and 1 December (Wednesday).
Pholetsi Moseki, the acting CEO of Cricket South Africa, said: “We are disappointed by the unfortunate situation we find ourselves in, but the comfort of all visiting teams must always be paramount. The mental well-being of players is one of CSA’s top priorities, and we respect our visitors’ position and point of view.
“CSA and KNCB will get into discussions around possibly rescheduling the tour within this cycle of the ICC Future Tours Programme ending in 2023,” he added.
Jurgen Delfos, the Chairman of the KNCB thanked CSA for “their assistance and understanding” of the current situation.
“We are saddened by these circumstances, but are grateful to Cricket South Africa for their assistance and understanding of our team’s position. It must be made clear that the concerns are strictly over travel issues and how soon the team can get home and have nothing to do with the integrity of the Bio-Secure Environment (BSE) that CSA has successfully hosted. Our team has been pleased with every aspect of the organisation of the tour and have been well treated by our hosts.
“We have been looking forward to this series against the Proteas for some time and are keen on returning to South Africa in the near future.”
In the first ODI of the series, South Africa set Netherlands a target of 278 to chase after a gritty batting display. However, the match was called off due to heavy rain, with only two overs of Netherlands innings possible.
Courtesy ICC