As the United Kingdom government has put forward stricter travel restrictions regarding the Netherlands' tour of South Africa, the emergence of the new COVID-19 variant in South Africa has put a damper on the Netherlands' plans to tour South Africa. The UK has temporarily suspended flights from South Africa and other Southern African countries due to the new strain, B.1.1.529.
Currently, quarantine guidelines are being prepared for those returning to the UK. Non-residents will be banned from entering the UK as of noon on Friday, November 26. Additionally, Irish and UK residents arriving after 4 AM on Sunday must undergo a self-funded mandatory hotel quarantine.
It was feared that the Dutch players could be stranded in South Africa due to the cancellation of flights. At the moment, the first of the three ODIs is being played at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. There has been no confirmation of the remaining two games.
The next two ODIs for Peter Seelaar and Co. will be played in Centurion and Johannesburg respectively on Sunday, November 28, and Wednesday, December 1. Oman and the United Arab Emirates hosted the T20 World Cup 2021 recently.
In three matches against Sri Lanka, Ireland, and Namibia, the Dutch team failed to win a single game. On the other hand, the Proteas started their Super 12 campaign with a loss to Australia. After winning four matches in a row, they made an incredible comeback. However, they failed to advance to the semis after England and the Aussies edged them on net run rate.
It was Rassie van der Dussen, Anrich Nortje, Aiden Markram, and Kagiso Rabada who led the Proteas in the tournament. In the series against the Netherlands, the hosts rested Quinton de Kock, Rabada, Nortje, and a few other star players.
For the Dutch team, the ongoing series is their first assignment since Ryan ten Doeschate retired. In this series, Roelof van der Merwe is also playing against his former national team.