Netherlands Clinch T20 World Cup 2026 Spot After Victory Over Italy

THE HAGUE: The Netherlands have secured their place at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after a dominant nine-wicket triumph against Italy in their final Europe Region Final match, held at Sportpark Westvliet on Friday.

The Dutch team, who were positioned third before the match, ascended to the top of the standings with a total of six points from four matches.

Their campaign in the Europe Region Final began positively with a convincing seven-wicket victory over Jersey, before experiencing a setback with a narrow six-run loss to Scotland.

However, the host nation bounced back emphatically, recording a decisive 73-run victory against Guernsey.

Needing to chase a target of 135 runs in a crucial must-win game, the Netherlands comfortably reached the required score, losing only one wicket and with 21 balls remaining.

Opener Max O’Dowd played a pivotal role, scoring an undefeated 46 from 41 balls, including three boundaries.

He received valuable support from fellow opener Michael Levitt and captain Edwards, who contributed 34 and 37 not out, respectively.

Crishan Kalugamage was the only Italian bowler to claim a wicket.

Earlier, Italy, who were leading the table, managed to score 134/7 in their allotted 20 overs, largely due to an impressive bowling performance by Roelof van der Merwe, who took 3/15 in his four overs.

Ben Manenti was the top scorer for Italy, making 30 off 27 balls, with one four and two sixes.

Grant Stewart (25), Harry Manenti (23) and captain Joe Burns (22) also made important contributions.

For the Netherlands, Kyle Klein claimed two wickets, and Aryan Dutt took one, complementing Van der Merwe’s efforts.