Netherlands to host Ireland and Scotland for a tri-series ahead of T20 World Cup

Netherlands will host Ireland and Scotland in a T20 tri-series as part of the three teams' preparations for the T20 World Cup, which begins on June 2. The tri-series will take place in Amstelveen from May 18 to 24, with matches on all days other than May 21.

The all-European tri-series will follow a pure round-robin format, with no final, with each team meeting the others twice.

Ireland, who completed an all-format home series against Afghanistan earlier this month, have three home T20Is lined up against Pakistan in May before they travel to the Netherlands this tri-series. For Scotland and Netherlands, who have recently played 50-overs games in World Cup League 2, the tri-series is their last chance to tune up their T20I plans before they head to the West Indies and the USA for the World Cup.

"We are excited to host this Tri-Series as part of our preparation for the T20 World Cup played in America and the West Indies in June," Roland Lefebvre, high performance director at the KNCB (Royal Dutch Cricket Association), said. "Twenty teams will be competing in this year's event which makes this World Cup a truly global event, with more than a billion TV viewers worldwide. The Netherlands team will be aiming to emulate the success they had in Australia in 2022."

In the World Cup, Ireland have been drawn in Group A alongside Canada, India, Pakistan and USA; Scotland in Group B alongside Australia, England, Namibia and Oman; and Netherlands in Group D alongside Bangladesh, Nepal, South Africa and Sri Lanka.