Pakistan tour of the Netherlands postponed indefinitely due to scheduling conflict

Pakistan cricket team's planned tour of the Netherlands in May 2024 has reportedly been postponed indefinitely following a request from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The Men in Green were slated to play three T20Is against Scott Edwards and company as part of their preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup in June.

According to a report by Cricbuzz, the PCB wrote to Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond (KNCB) to postpone the series due to a jam-packed schedule. The report further states that the two boards are working out a solution to find the right window to conduct the series.

"We're obviously disappointed but of course we understand the situation, and remain optimistic a new window will be found to play the series either at home or away," KNCB High Performance Manager Roland Lefebrve told Cricbuzz.

Pakistan had toured the Netherlands for a three-match ODI series in August 2022. The Babar Azam-led side completed a 3-0 whitewash over the Dutch and had expressed a desire to return to the country for another series.

According to the Future Tours Programme (FTP), Pakistan are scheduled to tour Europe in May 2024 to play T20Is against Ireland and England. Initial scheduling included the Netherlands as part of the tour, but with the Men in Green slated to tour New Zealand, host West Indies, and New Zealand once again, it makes up a complicated schedule that also includes the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The home series against New Zealand, comprising five T20Is will end in late April, resulting in only a short gap until the European tour.

Pakistan and the Netherlands had recently faced each other in the 2023 ODI World Cup

The two sides had kickstarted their respective 2023 ODI World Cup campaigns with a clash against each other on October 6 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The Dutch had the Men in Green reduced to 38-3 in the first powerplay, but half-centuries from Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel propelled Pakistan to 286 in the first innings.

The Netherlands made an optimistic start to the run chase but lost their way to be bowled out for 205 runs in 41 overs.

Pakistan, after completing a set of radical changes following their forgettable World Cup campaign, are now scheduled to tour Australia for a three-match Test series as part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.