Scott Edwards has called for more bilateral matches between associate nations and Test-playing countries, saying consistent exposure is key for teams like the Netherlands national cricket team to progress. Netherlands captain Scott Edwards believes the strong performances of associate teams in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 should open doors
Scott Edwards
Netherlands captain Scott Edwards on Tuesday said a string of impressive performances from the associate nations in the T20 World Cup should lead to more bilateral cricket against Test playing countries. Lack of cricket against top teams is the common complaint of associate teams taking part in the ongoing T20 showpiece. Zimbabwe upset Australia while the likes of Nepal and Italy ran England close in the league stage.
Speaking ahead of the their final league match against India, Netherlands skipper Edwards said doing well in ICC events consistently would always be improbable for the non Test playing nations unless they play against the best outside of World Cups. "I think this World Cup has been brilliant with the way a lot of associate sides have played. And hopefully that does promote more opportunities for Test playing nations to play against associates outside of World Cups," said Edwards. Considering the limitations, Edwards feels his team has done well on the global stage.
"I think we've probably punched above our weight. For a while, I think we've played a lot of good cricket through World Cups. To get to the next level, a lot of it comes down to more opportunities against Test playing nations. "However that comes about, there's obviously restrictions with funding for us and those sort of things. But it's not really under our control. For us, it's just playing our best cricket when we can on the world stage and hopefully that gives us opportunities," said Edwards. They only get to play teams like India at ICC events, making their task a lot tougher.
"It is a reality for us. For us, it's just preparing as well as we can and coming into these competitions. As I said, the better you play, the more games you win, the more of a voice you potentially have," he said. Any specific plans for Indian batters who have struggled against spin in the last couple of games? "We go into every game with plans for different batters. Obviously, there's a lot of firepower in that Indian side, so we've got our individual plans for guys. That's what we'll be looking to do," added Edwards.
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