Cricket Australia will suffer a significant short-term financial hit after being forced to postpone a white-ball series against New Zealand.

The one-day and Twenty20 tour, scheduled from January 30 to February 8, has been postponed until further notice due to New Zealand’s border controls and quarantine requirements, CA said in a statement. The restrictions meant there was uncertainty over when the New Zealand squad would be able to return home. They may also prevent Australia making a reciprocal tour to New Zealand in March.

The postponement will cost CA millions of dollars in television rights with Fox Sports, which has an exclusive broadcast deal on white-ball cricket in Australia.

It is another blow to CA’s bottom line, which has already taken a $40 million cut in television rights from the most recent UK deal, another $40 million from the current overseas deal, and $50 million in COVID-19 costs over the past few seasons.

While the money may be made up at a later stage if the matches are rescheduled, CA lost several million dollars when the last two one-day matches of a series against New Zealand were unable to be played at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020.

Australia’s other matches postponed because of COVID include two Tests against Bangladesh, three one-day matches against Zimbabwe, three T20s against the West Indies, two Tests against Afghanistan, three Tests against South Africa, and an earlier white-ball series against New Zealand.

In the most recent postponement, New Zealand had been due to play three one-day matches and a T20 game, with one of the clashes already moved from Perth because of harsh border restrictions.

There is also a five-match T20 tour by Sri Lanka scheduled for next month, which CA said would be confirmed in coming days.