West Indies to play 3 ODIs in May-June on first ever tour to Netherlands

In a historic first, the West Indies Cricket Team is all set to tour the Netherlands for a three-match one-day international series this upcoming summer. The development was made public through a joint official press release from Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Board (KNCB) on Friday.

In the press release, CWI CEO Johnny Graves confirmed that the ODI series will take place following the culmination of the 14th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He said:

''We have been working closely with our colleagues at KNCB to put together this series immediately after the IPL and we are happy to now be able to announce the match schedule. It’s going to be exciting to tour the Netherlands for the first time. It is a short tour but we expect great entertainment during what promises to be a wonderful week of quality cricket."

The three-match rubber will be a part of the ongoing ODI Super League. It will get underway on May 31 and the remaining two games will be played on June 2 and 4.

"The KNCB is very excited to welcome the West Indies cricket team" - Roland Lefebvre

Meanwhile, Roland Lefebvre, the high-performance manager of KNCB, recalled the last instance of players from the Caribbean touring the European nation.

It was back in 1991 when a star-studded West Indian side, which included the likes of Sir Vivian Richards, Desmond Haynes and the pace duo of Curtly Ambrose and the late Malcolm Marshall toured the Netherlands. He said:

“The KNCB is very excited to welcome the West Indies cricket team back to the Netherlands. The last time the team visited our country was in 1991, for two 55-over friendly matches, with the likes of Richards, Haynes, Ambrose, and Marshall present. These matches will be the second Cricket World Cup Super League home series for the Dutch team and we look forward to a great Caribbean style contest.”

This series will be a great opportunity for the Men in Maroon to rack up some valuable points in the ODI Super League.

The two-time world champions have lost their last two bilateral series to Ireland and India. In the 15 games that they have played in the Super League, they have managed to win just five encounters.

The Netherlands, on the other hand, are currently in the last spot in the points table. They will hope to string together a few victories in a bid to officially qualify for the 2023 World Cup.