Tomorrow sees the opening of what looks set to be the highlight of the Dutch cricketing summer, the Netherlands taking on Zimbabwe at VRA in the first match of a historic three-match series.

Zimbabwe's tour is the first time the Dutch welcome a full member side to their shores in some four years, the last being a one-off ODI against South Africa in 2013. Though these three matches will not be full ODIs – the Dutch having forfeited their ODI status at the last World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand, it will nonetheless be the first multi-match one day series in the country against full member opposition in over a decade.

Zimbabwe's willingness to risk taking on Associate sides of late is to be commended whatever the outcome, though the policy has perhaps not worked out as they might have hoped. A 3-2 defeat at the hands of Afghanistan in a five-match home ODI series early this year, followed by a disappointing 1-1 tied series in Scotland last week, will mean the Zimbabweans will arrive in Amsterdam today feeling distinctly nervous.

The Dutch meanwhile are riding high, a surprise home defeat at the hands of Nepal last year the only blemish on their otherwise undefeated campaign in the World Cricket League Championship. Nonetheless Zimbabwe are solid favourites going into the series, with the Dutch both short of match practice - having last played a competitive match back in February - and on key players owing to availability and injury issues.

The series will be the first full bilaterals between the countries, the two sides having met previously only in ICC competition, the most recent encounters being a last-ball five-wicket win for Zimbabwe at the 2014 World T20 and a more convincing 99 run win at the 2003 World Cup.

A couple of the Zimbabweans will nonetheless be familiar with the ground, Craig Ervine and Sean Williams having played in the Zimbabwe XI that toured in 2010. The tour included a fifty over affair - played according to the Dutch fashion with a red ball and in whites - ahead of their Intercontinental Cup match the following week.

Neither Ervine nor Williams will have particularly happy memories of that game, the former going for 7 off his solitary over and contributing only a belaboured 10 off 42 balls with the bat, while the latter managed only three overs before injuring his hand and playing no further role in the match. Conversely Wesley Barresi - the only member of the current Dutch squad to have played in that game – will fondly remember contributing 47 runs and a rather spectacular diving catch to the Netherlands' 58 run win.

A repeat showing from Barresi would be something of a welcome surprise for the Dutch however, as their potentially explosive top-order has been prone to misfiring of late. Their twin 300+ scores against Honk Kong in their most recent competitive matches suggests that they may yet step up when the pressure is on, but though the Netherlands have something of a reputation for staging upsets against full members, this Zimbabwe team is unlikely to fall into the trap of underestimating their opponents, especially after their loss to Scotland.

For Zimbabwe of course the series offers a chance to regain some confidence and build some much needed momentum ahead of the Sri-Lanka tour, whilst the Dutch will sense a chance to snatch a historic first series win against a full member side. The hosts will need to be at their best consistently to pull that off however, and would probably regard even a 1-2 scoreline with a degree of satisfaction.

Netherlands vs Zimbabwe head-to-head analysis

Zimbabwe tour of the Netherlands 2017

All matches live on CricketEurope

Netherlands Squad: Peter Borren (Capt, VRA), Wesley Barresi (Quick Haag), Ben Cooper (VRA), Fred Klaassen (VRA), Stephan Myburgh (Hermes DVS), Michael Rippon (Otago), Shane Snater (Rood & Wit), Logan van Beek (Canterbury), Paul van Meekeren (Somerset), Tobias Visée (HBS), Sikander Zulfiqar (ACC), Timm van der Gugten (20 & 22 June only, Glamorgan), Roelof van der Merwe (20 & 22 June only, Somerset), Saqib Zulfiqar (24 June only, ACC), Max O’Dowd (24 June only, VOC).