'An experience of a lifetime': Skipper on Dutch T20WC debut
Skipper Babette de Leede will lead Netherlands in their first-ever ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
Captain Babette de Leede is eager to play in home-like conditions in what will be Netherlands' maiden ICC Women's T20 World Cup appearance.
"It is an amazing opportunity for us as a team to show the world the talent we have got. Moreover, it is very special that it is almost like a home World Cup for us, with conditions similar to those in the Netherlands," the Dutch skipper told Revsportz in an interview.
USA v Netherlands | Match Highlights | Women's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier
Netherlands qualify for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a 21-run (DLS method) victory over the USA.
Babette also expected strong support given Netherlands' proximity to England, where the T20 World Cup will be played, and looked forward to an incredible experience.
"We expect a big orange crowd at all of our games. It will be an experience of a lifetime."
This is the very-first appearance for Netherlands in the Women's T20 World Cup, though they've appeared in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup before.
Babette is no stranger to pressure situations as evidenced by her leadership in the recent international outings for the Dutch.
The 26-year-old wicketkeper-batter stated that the side worked on their commitment towards winning after missing out on the 2024 T20 World Cup, where they failed to get beyond the group stage.
"At the previous Global Qualifier in Abu Dhabi in 2024, we played okay, but not well enough to qualify.
“After that tournament, we realised what needed to be done to qualify for the next World Cup, and all gave it our 100 per cent."
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Watch the highlights as the Netherlands end Scotland’s unbeaten run with a 27 run victory at the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy.
The buildup for their historic qualification began with the European Qualifier in the Netherlands last year, which helped them qualify for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier 2026 in Nepal.
"Last summer (August 2025), we played the European Qualifier in the Netherlands with Ireland, Italy, and Germany. Ireland and the Netherlands qualified for the Global Qualifier in Nepal in January this year."
Following that de Leede acknowledged how the inaugural ICC Women's Emerging Nations Trophy 2025, where Netherlands finished third with five wins provided the team a boost before the eventual Global Qualifier.
"We played the Emerging Nations Trophy in November 2025, which is a great initiative from the ICC and was a very important part of our preparation for the qualifier.
"In Nepal, our dream scenario became reality by winning our first five (four) games, which meant we had qualified with two more games to play."
Every Bas de Leede wicket | CWC23
Bas de Leede was the most successful Dutch bowler in the history of Cricket World Cup.
Babette was no stranger to the game growing up, given she belongs to the prestigious de Leede family, which has seen her uncle Tim de Leede featured in the 2003 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, whereas her cousin Bas, has featured for the Men's team in their recent ICC campaigns.
"I grew up in a cricket family, so as a kid I played cricket in the house with my younger brother," Babette said while discussing her growing years.
“I joined a hockey and cricket club when I was seven years old. In the Netherlands, there aren’t enough girls for a girls’ competition, so you have to play with the boys.
"That really helped the development of my game, and I still play men’s cricket for my club. I was 10 years old when I made the Dutch U13 girls’ team, and 14 years old when I made my debut as a wicketkeeper for the Dutch national team in the English domestic competition."
Babette believed that Netherlands could be the surprise factor at the upcoming event, and also outlined the goals for her side at the Women's T20 World Cup.
"I think playing as the newcomers and underdogs (the lowest-ranked team) might work in our favour to surprise some teams and cause some upsets. Our goal is to win at least two games and finish in the top eight so that we don’t have to qualify for the next T20 World Cup."
The next aim for Netherlands will be a triangular contest featuring Scotland and Bangladesh, where the team will look to sharpen their skills ahead of the global mega-event.
"It is great preparation to play some competitive games and to get into match rhythm. Over the last few years, we have played Scotland a couple of times and the games are always very close. Bangladesh is a team we only played at the Global Qualifier, and we are definitely looking for our first-ever T20I win against them."
Netherlands T20 World Cup campaign will begin from 14 June, with a contest against Bangladesh.
Netherlands Squad: Babette de Leede (c), Caroline de Lange, Frédérique Overdijk, Hannah Landheer, Heather Siegers, Iris Zwilling, Isabel van der Woning, Lara Leemhuis, Myrthe van den Raad, Phebe Molkenboer, Robine Rijke, Rosalie Lawrence, Sanya Khurana, Silver Siegers, Sterre Kalis