Three grounds will be used for this season’s home matches in the ECB Pro40 competition, the KNCB has announced.
The opening weekend, in which The Netherlands takes on Essex on Friday, 21 May and Middlesex two days later, will be played at VRA’s picturesque ground in the Amsterdamse Bos (Amstelveen), which also hosted the country’s first ODI, the World Cup match between South Africa and Kenya in 1999.
The following pair of games, against Derbyshire on Friday, 30 July and Yorkshire on Sunday, 1 August, will take place on one of the newest Dutch turf pitches, at Excelsior ’20’s Thurlede complex in Schiedam.
And the final home matches, in which The Netherlands plays Northamptonshire on Sunday, 22 August and Gloucestershire on Thursday, 26 August, are scheduled for Hazelaarweg, the home ground of VOC Rotterdam, which was also the venue of the Dutch side’s last competitive match against county opposition, a Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy match against Warwickshire in 2005.
KNCB chief executive Richard Cox said on Tuesday: ‘We are extremely grateful to the clubs for hosting these prestigious fixtures in what will be a very interesting programme of matches.
‘It goes without saying the players are looking forward to playing on the County Grounds in the UK, but the home venues where Dutch cricket supporters will be able to see their national team are equally special in a different way. The prospect of the visiting sides containing names such as Ten Doeschate, Cook, Bopara, Strauss and so on is exciting in itself, let alone the array of overseas players and young players that the county scene produces.’
A delegation from the ECB will visit The Netherlands on 3 February to discuss the playing programme and facilities, and the Bond plans to announce supporters’ packages and match arrangements after it has consulted further with the three clubs.
The KNCB also states that the question of the Dutch fielding an overseas player, in the absence of Ryan ten Doeschate and Alexei Kervezee, is still under discussion.
‘The KNCB will make a formal announcement on this in due course following the team’s performances in the forthcoming programme of matches in India , Dubai and Kenya,’ the statement concludes.