Published: Apr 13, 2017, 06:06 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 13, 2017, 07:00 PM (IST)
Harare [Zimbabwe] (ANI): Zimbabwe will travel to Netherlands to play three 50-over matches ahead of a Test and limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, the Zimbabwe cricket managing director Wilfred Mukondiwa has confirmed. Mukondiwa further said that the tour would give his players the much-needed game time and a feel of unfamiliar conditions, while it would also help in preparing the team for the tougher series against Lanka. The matches will be played on June 20, 22 and 24. However, the matches might not be classified as ODIs since Netherlands do not currently have ODI status after losing it in January 2014. The development comes following an announcement last month that Zimbabwe will tour Scotland to play two ODIs on June 15 and 17.
“We are pleased to confirm Zimbabwe will be touring the Netherlands as part of a potentially exciting and competitive five-game programme that will also see us visiting Scotland for two of the matches,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Mukondiwa as saying.
This is not the first Zimbabwe tour to the Netherlands however. A Zimbabwe XI beat the Dutch by 137 runs at Amstelveen in a 2010 Intercontinental Cup match when Zimbabwe entered a side in the Associate four-day competition to help prepare themselves for re-entry into the Test arena. Netherlands had beaten the same Zimbabwe XI by 58 runs two days prior to the I-Cup contest, bowling them out for 136 in a 50-over contest.
