Under the shadow of an impending T20 World Cup, the Dutch international season begins tomorrow at Voorburg when European rivals Ireland and Scotland visit to play a six-match T20I trilateral series before the three teams go across the Atlantic. In addition to acting as a prelude to the next Men’s T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies in 2024, the series may also work as a de facto qualifier for the 2026 competition, depending on how this year’s World Cup plays out.
By coincidence, the three teams are engaged in a battle on the rankings table with Zimbabwe and Namibia to earn direct qualifying for the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and India in 2026. Given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the number of qualifying spots available at the next European regional qualifier, every match played in Voorburg might be crucial in that race. Therefore, the series will be more than simply a warm-up for the competitors.
The last time the three played in a trilateral T20 series that had the potential to become a regular part of the European summer at the conclusion of the 2010s was nearly five years ago. With Richie Berrington taking over the Scottish armband from Kyle Coetzer and Scott Edwards taking over the Dutch captaincy from Pieter Seelaar, all three teams are now led by new men. Paul Stirling is leading Ireland into the series for the second time as captain, while Gary Wilson was leading the team when the three teams last met in Dublin in 2019.
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In that match, Ireland emerged victorious, and in the 2018 tri-series amongst the three Scotland finished first. The Dutch, on the other hand, have perhaps enjoyed the most success in white-ball cricket recently. They were the only associate team to qualify for the most recent 50-over World Cup and managed to earn direct qualifying for the next World Cup by placing in the top eight of the 2022 edition.
However, the hosts will be without a few key players for this series: Fred Klaassen and Bas de Leede are also expected to be out for at least some of the series, while Roelof van der Merwe and Colin Ackermann will stay with respective counties as they will for the World Cup itself. Due to IPL commitments, Scotland, Ireland will be without left arm quick Josh Little, and Graham Hume had to withdraw late due to visa issues. Jack Jarvis and Brandon McMullen, who are believed to be recovering from minor injuries, are being rested by Scotland in the interim. If not, all three will be ready for their last practice before the World Cup, where important ranking points will be at stake. They won’t require much more inspiration.
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The series was originally slated to take place at VRA’s ground in the Amsterdamse Bos, but due to worries about how VRA’s drainage was handling an exceptionally rainy spring, it was moved (over VRA’s objections) to Voorburg CC’s Wesvliet ground near the Hague. Though the number of runs at the stadium has fluctuated a lot, Voorburg’s hybrid wickets are said to have fared well in the weather. The most recent club Twenty20 contest at the ground saw over 400 runs scored, but judging from the recent Pro-Series matches, the bowlers have a lot to gain from it.
According to the current prognosis, we should be lucky to have a small respite from the constant rain for the series, with good weather anticipated for the first part of it at the very least. But with the rain predicted to resume by mid-week, things appear to be becoming a little shaky in the back end.
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