Netherlands Announce Squad for T20 World Cup, Big Names Miss Out
The Netherlands have announced their squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, with some notable absences.
Seasoned all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe and key batter Colin Ackermann were not included in the selection. Instead, the selectors have chosen the promising left-arm spinner Tim Pringle and the explosive opener Michael Levitt.
Levitt made a significant impact with a stunning century against Namibia in a T20I tri-series in Nepal earlier this year, scoring 135 runs off just 62 balls.
Roelof van der Merwe, a fielder for the Netherlands, made a remarkable catch off Aryan Dutt’s bowling to dismiss Mark Chapman in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
Scott Edwards, the wicket-keeper-batter, will continue to captain the Dutch side, with star all-rounder Bas de Leede being one of the key players. The Netherlands will face South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal in the group stages of the T20 World Cup.
The Dutch team’s first match is scheduled for June 4 against Nepal at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. They aim to build on their impressive performance at the previous T20 World Cup, where they achieved a memorable victory over South Africa.
Head coach Ryan Cook expressed confidence in the selected team’s ability to perform well against the competition in the US and West Indies. He highlighted the players’ excellent training and recent performances in the ProSeries, demonstrating the growing depth and quality of Dutch cricket.
The Netherlands reflect on their performance and identify areas for improvement after participating in what has been dubbed ‘the most competitive World Cup ever’.
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
Teams are allowed to make changes to their squad until May 25, after which any changes will require approval from the ICC’s Event Technical Committee.