Women's quadrangular series postponed due to coronavirus risk

The 50-over tournament was set to begin on April 3 in Chiang Mai, featuring Ireland, Thailand, Netherlands and Zimbabwe

A women’s quadrangular series featuring Ireland, Netherlands, Zimbabwe and Thailand has been postponed over coronavirus fears.

The 50-over tournament was set to begin on April 3 in Chiang Mai and had been arranged as a warm-up event for the four teams, all of whom will be playing in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Sri Lanka in July.

However, the Cricket Association of Thailand have made the decision to cancel the nine-day event in the interests of player safety. The call had been made in association with medical authorities and the Sports Authority of Thailand.

Richard Holdsworth, performance director for Cricket Ireland, said: “While disappointing from a cricket perspective, the health and safety of players, staff and travelling fans is paramount, and we readily agreed with the advice from Thailand.

“It’s an important few months for the women’s team in the lead up to the World Cup Qualifier, so we will be working on a replacement set of fixtures in an alternate location to ensure the women are as prepared for this tournament.”

KNCB high performance manager Roland Lefebvre added: “Although extremely disappointing for everyone involved, we feel the right decision has been made.”

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.