After a determined win over South Africa, and with some assistance from Pakistan and India, the Netherlands finished at the fourth position in their Super 12 group of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. With this, the Dutch side has earned a direct place at the 2024 T20 World Cup, set to be hosted by the West Indies and the USA.
To reach the top four of Group 2, the Netherlands needed everything to go their way on the final day of second stage. First, a win over the tournament’s favourites South Africa was imperative. Next required Pakistan to beat Bangladesh, and lastly, India to defeat Zimbabwe so that the African nation does not acquire the 4th position in the points table.
And the Dutch got the perfect day. They themselves defeated South Africa by 13 runs. Pakistan edged past Bangladesh by five wickets and booked a place in the semifinals, while India thrashed Zimbabwe by seven runs and topped Group 1.
The Netherlands are now one of twelve teams to have directly qualified for the 2024 T20 World Cup and the second associate after hosts USA. Meanwhile, full members – Zimbabwe and Ireland – will return to play in the qualifiers.
Here’s the full list of teams which have earned direct qualification for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup:
- Hosts – West Indies and USA
- Top 8 –
Group 1: New Zealand, England, Australia and Sri Lanka
Group 2: India, Pakistan, South Africa and the Netherlands - Next two highest-ranked teams from the rest – Bangladesh and Afghanistan
It has to be remembered that the next T20 World Cup will be a 20-team affair. So, the rest of the eight spots will be filled by regional qualifiers in Africa, Asia and Europe, while the Americas and EAP regions will have one team each make it to the ICC event.