Amsterdam, May 6 (IANS) The Netherlands Cricket Board has unveiled a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will commence on June 12 in England and Wales. The team is making its debut in the multi-national tournament, which will include 12 teams for the first time.

Babette de Leede will lead the team in their first major T20 tournament, and she is looking forward to showcasing the skills of the team on the world stage, and some crowd support as well.

“We are super excited for our first-ever appearance in the ICC T20 World Cup. It will be a great opportunity to compete with the best teams in the world, and to show the talent that we have in the Netherlands on the big stage,” Babette said in a statement released by Netherlands Cricket Board .

“Because the T20 World Cup is played close to our home, in England, we expect a big orange crowd and a lot of support. It will be an experience of a lifetime, not just for us as a team, but also for our families, friends, and everyone who has Dutch women’s cricket at heart,” she added.

The Netherlands secured their maiden qualification to the Women’s T20 World Cup after three wins in three matches during the Super Six stage of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifiers held in Nepal last year.

The Dutch team is placed in a tough group A in the T20 World Cup, where they will clash with Australia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and South Africa in the group stage for the top two spots in the points table, which will take them through to the semi-finals.

They will open their campaign against Bangladesh at Edgbaston on Sunday, June 14. This will be followed by high-profile matchups against India at Headingley on June 17 and defending champions Australia at the Utilita Bowl on June 20.

The team, captained by Babette de Leede, will conclude their group stage fixtures at the County Ground in Bristol, facing South Africa on June 25 and Pakistan on June 27.

Prior to the World Cup, the Netherlands will play a T20I TriSeries in Scotland against Bangladesh and the host country.

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

–IANS

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