Cricket: Clinical Netherlands qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup

The Netherlands has qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 to be held in India and Sri Lanka in February and March next year with a clinical nine-wicket thrashing of Italy at Voorburg.

Thousands of home fans cheered on as the Dutch comfortably chased down Italy’s target of 135 with 22 balls remaining, led by the tournament’s leading run-scorers by some margin, Max O’Dowd (204 runs in four innings) and Scott Edwards (146 in four innings).

Despite the loss, Italy also qualified for their first-ever World Cup, having finished second.

Being inserted to bowl first, the Dutch bowlers reduced Italy to 52 for four at the halfway mark in a relentless bowling display to stem the runs.

Off-spinner Aryan Dutt removed Emilio Gay, fresh off a 21-ball 50 in a win against Scotland, with just his second delivery for six.

Manenti brothers, Harry and Ben, steadied the ship with a 45-run partnership for the fifth wicket but were dismissed five balls apart to slide further. All-rounder Grant Stewart provided the late acceleration hitting three sixes – including going back-to-back off Bas de Leede in the penultimate over to help his side to a competitive total of 134 for seven.

Player-of-the-match Roelof van der Merwe, who sent down the final over of the innings conceding only six runs, was the pick of the bowlers with a spell of three for 15 in his four overs, including the wickets of Italian captain Joe Burns for 22, caught slog sweeping in the deep, and Stewart for 25.

Top order dominates

Needing only to win the match to secure qualification, the Dutch openers Michael Levitt and O’Dowd raced off the blocks with a quickfire 71-run partnership.

The pair struck eight fours and a six in the powerplay alone to rack up 66 – the highest of the tournament with Levitt the aggressor.

After Levitt was caught on the deep midwicket boundary trying to hit leg-spinner Crishan Kalugamage for a six, Edwards (37*) joined forces with O’Dowd (47*) in a 64-run partnership to comfortably seal the chase in the 17th over.

“Extremely proud of the boys after it came down to the last game. It’s been an epic week, very special to have pulled it off ,” Edwards said after the game.

Asked on his side’s ambitions to make it to the Super Eights next year, Edwards added: “We’ll plan it out but that’s always been the goal for us to go as far as we can every tournament. We’ll obviously celebrate this and quickly turn our attention to what’s to come.”

As things stand, the Dutch have no fixtures through to the end of the year leading up to the T20 World Cup.

Heartbreak for Jersey

Jersey players had watched on nervously from the clubhouse having earlier pulled off a thrilling last-ball win over Scotland to keep their qualification hopes alive.

Had the Dutch completed the run chase in 15 overs or fewer, Jersey would have pipped Italy on net run-rate to qualify ahead of them for their first-ever senior World Cup.

The remaining five spots for the 20-team World Cup will be decided after the Africa qualifier to be held in Zimbabwe in September and the Asia-EAP Qualifier in Oman in October.