The Netherlands’ women’s cricket team have joined Ireland as the two teams from Europe to have qualified for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 Global Qualifier to be held in Nepal early next year.

The women’s side, led by Babette de Leede, finished second after beating Italy and Germany twice in a four-team round robin tournament held in Rotterdam over the past week.

Ireland cruised through unbeaten to win the regional event outright and are plotting their fifth T20 World Cup appearance having missed out last year.

The Dutch will now compete with the likes of the hosts Nepal, Scotland, Ireland, Bangladesh, USA, Thailand and three other teams to be confirmed following the Africa and the East-Asia Pacific regional qualifiers. Four of the ten sides will proceed to the 12-team pinnacle event in England and Wales next year.

“Qualifying for the World Cup would be very special, and wouldn’t be too far of a stretch,“ opener Heather Siegers told Dutch News.

“We have improved a lot, and I think we keep improving as a team, so definitely it is a possibility. I’m very excited that we are in a position right now where we could qualify and not just partake in a tournament.”

At last year’s global qualifiers in Abu Dhabi, the side, led by Siegers, produced their best finish but narrowly missed out on the semi-finals on net run-rate.

“I think, last time, we missed out due to our lack of consistency in our performances. Over the last six months, we have improved as a side. Not everyone can have a great day everyday,” Siegers said.

“We have also had a sports psychologist join the staff, which has been really helpful dealing with external pressure, and especially match pressure and [different] game situations, and I can already see the improvements in the mental game of some players.”

In their third game against Germany, the side racked up an impressive total of 255-3 in 20 overs, their highest ever, and won by a significant margin of 202 runs. Siegers, herself, brought up her maiden century with an unbeaten knock of 106 off 55 deliveries.

“It was never really on my bucket list, since I am a power hitter and I’m there for a good time, not a long time. But to be able to do this is really special, and to have my family there made it extra good,” Siegers said.

Runs and wickets

20-year-old opener Phebe Molkenboer finished only behind Ireland’s Amy Hunter as the tournament’s second highest run-getter with 226 runs at an average of 45.20 and strummed off an unbeaten 91 off 66 balls in the final game against Germany in a 65-run win.

Right-arm quick, Iris Zwilling, finished as the tournament’s joint-highest wicket-taker with 10 scalps.

Currently, Siegers combines coaching the Lionesses (the Dutch Academy side) with a 9-to-5 traineeship and had to miss out on the final two matches due to her work commitments.

T20 World Cup

Should the Dutch qualify for the T20 World Cup, it will be their first-ever appearance and will be a massive step forward with full-time contracts a direct consequence of increased funding.

Currently, only Sterre Kalis and Babette de Leede make a living out of the sport by playing domestic cricket in England and South Africa respectively. Most players are either studying or working a full-time job.

“I work a nine to five so outside of that is basically training, and it doesn’t leave much room for anything else,” Siegers said.

“A lot of players have to work on the rest days instead of doing their recovery, which can make tournaments very long and very tough, mentally and physically. It would be nice if at some point either full contracts are introduced or where employers and the board can come to an agreement that you can miss days from work or some sort of compensation.”