Less than 24 hours after pushing India to the limit in front of a massive Ahmedabad crowd, Netherlands star Bas de Leede has issued a stirring call for the ICC and Full Member nations to end the "once in a lifetime" cycle of Associate cricket.
Despite a 17-run loss to the tournament favourites on Wednesday, the Netherlands leave the 2026 T20 World Cup with their heads high, but their schedule empty. De Leede’s plea is simple: for the Associate game to grow, the "chatter" cannot die down once the world's cameras leave the subcontinent.
De Leede was pragmatic about the financial dominance of the "Big Three" but offered several low-friction solutions to bridge the gap:
European T20 series: Inspired by Italy’s "scare" against England in Kolkata, de Leede proposed a dedicated European tournament involving England, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Italy.
"Stopover" series: A proposal for teams touring England to use the Netherlands or Scotland as a training base, playing official warm-up T20s or ODIs before crossing the Channel.
Tri-nation fixtures: Incorporating one Associate nation into existing bilateral series between Full Members to ensure competitive exposure.
De Leede’s words carry weight because of his actions off the field. Last month, he famously gave up a lucrative English county deal to fully commit to the Dutch national setup.
We’ve shown at what level Associate cricket is at the moment. We can only ask for more and more opportunities against the big teams; ultimately, that’s how we’re going to improve as a collective. We’ve got nothing planned until June. That has to change.
Bas de Leede, Netherlands All-Rounder
Skipper Scott Edwards echoed the sentiment, focusing on the tactical growth of the side. He highlighted Aryan Dutt’s "sensational" Powerplay spell against India’s left-handers as proof that Associate bowlers now possess the skill to trouble the world's best.
Grounds are smaller, pitches are flatter, crowds are bigger and there is so much hype. As a group, we pride ourselves on playing well in the big moments. Played well but in the moments - we have to make those moments count.
Scott Edwards, Netherlands captain
