Australia’s March cricket tour to New Zealand will not go ahead

The Australian men's cricket team’s Twenty20 tour of New Zealand has officially been cancelled after initially being "postponed" last month.

Due to have been played in January and February, just after the Ashes, the three-game series was first moved to March but has now been cancelled as a result of New Zealand's strict quarantine requirements.

Advising of the abandonment of the tour, Cricket Australia Chief Executive, Nick Hockley stated “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.”

The three T20s had temporarily been placed in a March window on Cricket Australia's 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 4th March to 5th April 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 22nd October at the Sydney Cricket Ground.