New Zealand to play two T20Is in Netherlands in August

Nieuwegein, April 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) New Zealand will play two T20Is in the Netherlands on August 4 and 6 this year at the Voorburg Cricket Club in The Hague, the two cricket boards (KNCB and NZC) confirmed on Friday.

The last time New Zealand visited Netherlands was in 1986 when the visitors beat the hosts convincingly in one of the two One-dayers (the 2nd match was rained off). Since then, a lot of international New Zealand players have played in the Dutch Premier League, including the current New Zealand head coach Gary Stead who played for Haarlemse Cricket Club Rood en Wit between 1996 and 2001.

"The chance to play the best white-ball teams in the world has always been the goal for this team. To test our young players against them, as well as showcasing our skills in front of our home fans is so extremely exciting," Netherlands coach Ryan Campbell said.

"The Black Caps coming to The Netherlands again shows the respect we are building in world cricket and I hope all Dutch fans come out and enjoy the contest," he added.

Black Caps coach Gary Stead added that full-member teams playing associate nations was crucial for the growth of their game.

"We're really excited to be touring the Netherlands. Playing against Associate teams as a Full Member nation is a really important part of helping them grow, and that can only benefit the world game long term," he said.

The two teams are also currently playing a bilateral series in New Zealand, with Netherlands touring for a one-off T20I and three ODIs. While the T20I was abandoned due to rain, the hosts won the first ODI comfortably to take a 1-0 lead in the series. So far, they have faced each other only five times across formats.

Source: IANS