After wrapping up their 2026 T20 World Cup campaign with a 17-run loss to co-hosts India in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, Netherlands’ star all-rounder Bas de Leede reiterated his teammates’ views by urging “bigger teams” to create more playing opportunities with Associate Nations that would accelerate development.
de Leede was among Netherlands’ standout performers in the tournament. He starred in their only win, against Namibia, with an unbeaten 72 and figures of 2 for 20, and produced consistent contributions throughout. On Wednesday, he struck a brisk 23-ball 33 at No. 3, attempting to counter India’s spin threat from the outset, though Netherlands eventually fell 17 runs short.
Beyond results, de Leede hoped the experience of playing in front of a packed crowd would leave a lasting impression on his teammates.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
He acknowledged the financial realities that drive marquee bilateral contests between Full Members but expressed hope that conversations around Associate inclusion would not fade once the tournament spotlight dims.
“I get the financial reasoning,” he said. “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.”
de Leede also floated a practical alternative, short-format opportunities built around existing tours. “Obviously, 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,” he said.
“But the 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.”
Last month, de Leede gave up a county contract to fully commit to Netherlands, underlining both the sacrifice and ambition within Associate cricket. The Dutch, long among the more competitive Associate sides, continue to navigate challenges around funding, fixtures and infrastructure, issues that proposed ventures like a European T20 League could partially address.
For now, however, the focus returns to preparation — training camps at home and plotting qualification pathways to the next World Cup in Africa, all while hoping that the momentum for broader opportunities does not fade once the global event concludes.