The Netherlands’ South African-born twin brothers Graeme and Chris Davey were forced to sit out the opening match of the European Under-19 Division 1 championship in Bangor on Monday after the formalities required for their eligibility were not completed in time.

Because the twins have South African passports, the KNCB was required to provide documentary evidence that they had satisfied the residence and development criteria for ICC tournaments. These apply from under-19 level upwards, so the fact that the Daveys had previously played in younger age groups was irrelevant.

The registration procedures and the required supporting documentation are well publicised, appearing on the ICC and ICC Europe websites as well as in the hard-copy published form of the ICC Handbook, and completion of the paperwork 30 days before the start of any tournament is a well-established requirement. Participating countries are left in no doubt as to what is expected of them, and they are reminded several times of what is needed in advance of the tournament season.

It is therefore extraordinary that on the eve of the Under-19 competition, a qualifying tournament for the Under-19 World Cup, the formalities for the registration of the Davey twins had still not been completed.

The result was that left-arm seamer Graeme, who is also the captain of the side, and wicketkeeper-batsman Chris were forced to sit out the opening match, and watch their side lose by eight wickets to tournament favourites Ireland. Alexei Kervezee took over the captaincy in Graeme’s absence.

By Tuesday the omission had been corrected, and the Daveys were able to take their places in the side for the game against Scotland.

This episode raises further questions about the administrative practices of the KNCB. No system is perfect, but that such a mistake could occur, with such unfortunate consequences for the players and their team, demands a careful investigation and steps to ensure that it can never happen again.