After a very long procedure of rigorous planning, Scotland vs Ireland series has been called off as new rules have been imposed on traveling by the authorities of Spain.
A five-match multi-format series was to take place at La Manga, Spain – a neutral venue for both countries. But even after all the planning, there will not be a final outcome as the restrictions have now forced Cricket Scotland to cancel the series and made it impassable to go any further.
The series was planned with the hope that the rules would soothe by March 16. But as per the new rules by the Spanish Government, the restrictions on the British Nationals has been extended to 30th March, making it impossible for Team Scotland to travel.
Here’s what Cricket Scotland CEO Gus Mackay had to say –
“It is very disappointing that we have not been able to make this series happen. Many hours of work have gone on behind the scenes to ensure that the players could train, travel, and play in a COVID-safe environment. It is a particularly hard blow for the women who have taken time off work to play these matches, only to have their plans reversed. They have been training hard and looking forward to getting back out on the pitch. I would like to thank Cricket Ireland’s High-Performance Director, Richard Holdsworth and his team, for all the work they put into planning the series with us, and the team at La Manga who have gone over and above to accommodate us. Everyone at Cricket Scotland is keen to be playing again as soon as possible and we’ll continue to look for ways, within the COVID-19 restrictions, to allow our athletes to return to competitive cricket against other nations as soon as possible.”
This series was very much crucial for Team Scotland. Having played zero tournaments in the year 2020 due to the pandemic, this series would have opened the doors for not just the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup but also the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games for the team. This entire year will now be very pivotal for the team if they want to secure a position at the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games.
Source: Cricket Scotland
I’m a Senior Masters student pursuing Journalism and Mass Communication. An all time Cricket enthusiast. I could never play the game but always loved watching it, and now writing about it!
