Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
Sport

Australian men's cricket tour of New Zealand cancelled after Twenty20 series initially postponed

Australia and New Zealand faced off in the final of the T20 World Cup and will meet again when Australia hosts the next edition in October. (Getty: Gareth Copley)

Australia's Twenty20 tour of New Zealand has officially been cancelled after initially being "postponed" last month.

The three-game series was originally supposed to take place shortly after the Ashes — between January 30 and February 5 — but was delayed "indefinitely" in January due to New Zealand's strict quarantine requirements.

Now, CA and New Zealand Cricket have made the call to abandon the series completely.

"We thank NZ Cricket for making every effort to host the series but unfortunately it wasn't possible given the border restrictions and quarantine requirements," CA chief executive Nick Hockley said.

The three T20s had temporarily been placed in a March window on Cricket Australia's (CA) crowded international schedule, between the second and third Tests of the tour of Pakistan.

While Australia has split its national men's team across multiple series and formats in different parts of the world, it is far from ideal, with the limited-overs team in those circumstances missing out on superstars like David Warner, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.

Australia is playing three Tests, three ODIs and a T20 in Pakistan from March 4 to April 5, and the Black Caps are hosting the Netherlands for four games in March and April before travelling to England in June.

With quarantine requirements still in place in New Zealand, the available windows are narrow ahead of a T20 World Cup in Australia.

After meeting in the final of last year's T20 World Cup, New Zealand and Australia face off to kick off their campaigns on October 22 at the SCG.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.