Sri Lanka Gros Islet: The Netherlands have announced a 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup, with wicketkeeper-batter Scott Edwards leading the side at the mega event, starting from June 1 in the West Indies and the USA.
This is the first time in the history of international cricket that an associate country participated in three consecutive World Cup editions. The Dutchmen played in the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022 and the ODI World Cup last year.
Veteran all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe and batter Colin Ackermann were unavailable for selection, which led the selectors to opt for the youngsters; left-arm spinner Tim Pringle, and opener Michael Levitt, with star all-rounder Bas de Leede among the key players for Dutch side.
"We have been able to select a well-balanced team which we are confident will be able to perform in the conditions against the opposition we face in the US and West Indies. All of the players have been training well and have been involved in the recent ProSeries with some exciting performances showing the growing depth and quality in the Netherlands cricket.
"We have managed to perform admirably in the last two World Cups we have participated in and will be determined to rise to the challenges we face ahead to reach the next round of the tournament," said head coach Ryan Cook.
After playing two official warm-up matches in the United States, the Netherlands will face South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal during the group stages.
The Dutch side will begin their campaign on June 4 against Nepal at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, followed by their match against South Africa on June 8 in New York. They will next play Bangladesh on June 13 in Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines, before concluding their group stage action against Sri Lanka Gros Islet, St. Lucia on June 17.
The Netherlands squad: Scott Edwards (c/wk), Aryan Dutt, Bas de Leede, Daniel Doram, Fred Klaassen, Logan van Beek, Max O'Dowd, Michael Levitt, Paul van Meekeren, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Teja Nidamanuru, Tim Pringle, Vikram Singh, Viv Kingma, Wesley Barresi.
Travelling reserve: Kyle Klein