‘That’s how we’re going to improve’ – Bas de Leede demands for multinational series to bring Netherlands cricket up

Bas de Leede. (Photo Source: Matt Roberts-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

In the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, all-rounder Bas de Leede has shown why he is a force to be reckoned with in the Netherlands dressing room. His 72 not-out and 2-20 against Namibia made him shine during the Dutch’s solitary win, as they are now on their way back home after the group-stage exit from the twenty-team tournament.

De Leede believes that if Associate teams like the Netherlands have to grow more in their cricket, then playing against cricketing powerhouses globally is one way to do so.

“We’ve shown at what level Associate cricket is at the moment; we can only ask for more and more opportunities against the big teams. Ultimately, that’s how we’re going to improve as a collective. We’ve got nothing planned until June. The next series is for World Cup qualification. We’ll have two weeks off, and training starts again,” de Leede was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

De Leede also understands the packed international calendars under the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP), but he feels that playing one-off games or tour matches against teams travelling to England can be a viable option that becomes a win-win. Exposure against bigger teams will hand the Dutchmen an opportunity to perform better at global events like World Cups, be they in any format.

“I get the financial reasoning. But maybe a tri-nation series [involving them and two Full Members] could be an option. I recently saw a post about a European T20 series involving England, Scotland, Ireland, Netherlands and Italy. We saw how close Italy pushed England. So there are a lot of options. Normally during the World Cup, it gets attention, and then it fades away. We can only hope this World Cup may change that. We’ll see what happens in the next couple of months,” he added.

“The schedules, with all the franchise leagues and the ICC FTP, it can be hard to find a window for a full series against the top nations. But one way is for travelling teams to have the option of playing warm-ups in the Netherlands and Scotland before they go to England. There are ways around that, where we also get the exposure of playing against the best teams, and they get something as well,” de Leede concluded.

The Scott Edwards-led side has missed out on a direct qualification for the next T20 World Cup and will fight for a place in the qualifiers that will begin soon after the conclusion of the 2026 event. It will be interesting to see how they fare and whether a big cricketing nation(s) comes up to them and plays a bilateral or multi-team series.

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