NETHERLANDS READY AND RARING FOR ICC WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP DEBUT AGAINST BANGLADESH

Media release

• Netherlands out to cause an upset on debut
• Bangladesh getting used to conditions after first games in England

Netherlands captain Babette de Leede is relishing a first shot at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup ahead of her side’s opener against Bangladesh at Edgbaston on Sunday.

The debutants won the first five games of their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Qualifier campaign to secure their spot, leading to scenes of delirium as their players slid over the covers when their DLS win over USA confirmed qualification.

Now, they are ready to show what they are made of on the global stage, with a supporting cast of fans expected to follow the team.

“It’s really cool to be here for the first time, with everything that is happening in the build-up to the tournament, and for cricket in the Netherlands, it is huge,” de Leede said.

“We hope to inspire a lot of girls back home, especially because it is so close to our home country.

“It’s amazing to have the opportunity to show the world the talent we’ve got in our country and also to play against some of the best teams in the world.

“To compete and to have this exposure is massive for us, not just as a team and as players, but also for the whole Dutch cricket community back home.

“We have never had so much support staff with us, and also everyone who has been supporting us.

“We are coming in as the underdog, and we would like to cause some upsets, and I am sure we will do our best.”

They beat the Tigresses in the first of their Edinburgh tri-series matches last month, but the ICC’s 14th-ranked nation have lost the other four times the sides have met in T20Is.

After their clash with 10th-ranked Bangladesh, Group A will pit them against India and Australia for the first time in T20Is, and South Africa and Pakistan for the first time since 2010 and 2011, respectively.

De Leede said they will use that sense of the unknown to spring a few surprises later in the tournament.

“This squad has never played against the other teams in our group, apart from Bangladesh,” she added.

“There is a lot of footage on them, a lot of data and not so much on us. We do have that advantage, and we can cause some upsets.”

Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana Joty, meanwhile, hopes this tournament will continue the progress made in women’s cricket in the country over the past few years.

The side picked up their first T20 World Cup win in 10 years when they beat Scotland in 2024.

“Women’s cricket in Bangladesh is really growing fast,” she said.

“We have been playing throughout the years and actually have been able to inspire a lot of young players back home.

“Looking at this World Cup, I think we have a very good chance to play good cricket, and we really want to compete.”

Like the Netherlands, this tournament is the first time Bangladesh have toured England, and adjusting to conditions will be a challenge.

They won two and lost two in their Edinburgh tri-series with Scotland and the Netherlands, before losing warm-up games in Loughborough against New Zealand and Ireland.

“Initially [the conditions] were really tough, but we had a tri-series in Scotland, so we have some learnings from there and definitely the team is looking forward to seeing how we play as a whole unit,” Nigar said.

“I think it will be very challenging for us because the wickets and the conditions are totally different from Asia. But we are ready to face all these challenges, all the teams are very competitive, and they are all coming here to win.

“We just want to play positive cricket here, start this tournament on a positive note, and it will affect the whole tournament.”