Netherlands women's team admits to field ineligible player in T20I against Italy
May 29, 2024
Amsterdam [Netherlands], May 29 : The Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) has taken responsibility after the Netherlands women's team fielded an ineligible player in the T20I against Italy on Monday, as per ESPNcricinfo.
The Netherlands crushed Italy by 94 runs in the first T20I of a four-match series on Tuesday, scoring 178 for 4 and restricting their opponents to 84 for 9. However, they did so while selecting a player who did not meet the ICC's player eligibility requirements. The KNCB reported this to the ICC after realising their blunder.
The board stated in a press release on Wednesday morning: "The ICC has informed the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) of an irregularity in the line-up of the Dutch Women's Cricket Team in the match between the Netherlands and Italy on Tuesday, May 28."
"Although no additional details have been communicated yet, the KNCB acknowledges that it was correctly identified for this error and will make the necessary adjustments in the next match to comply with the regulations," it further added.
The Netherlands made two T20I debuts against Italy: Madison Landsman (who scored a hat-trick for South Africa at the inaugural Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup last year) and Sanya Khurana. The KNCB has not confirmed the identity of the player in question.
The ICC has yet to publicly comment on the violation of their player eligibility standards. There are several possible consequences, including the player's suspension and the "adjustment, overturning, or amendment" of the match's result.
As per ESPNcricinfo, the Dutch board also reaffirmed its support for the women's side, adding, "The KNCB is committed to developing the Netherlands Women's Cricket team and is ambitious for the team to continue to progress in the ICC T20I and 50-over World Cup pathway competitions."
After their T20I series against Italy, the Netherlands will play Papua New Guinea, Scotland, and Hong Kong next month. They are placed 15th in the world in the ICC's Women's T20I rankings.
