Brief History of Netherlands Women’s National Cricket Team
The Netherlands women’s national cricket team, nicknamed the Lionesses, represents the Netherlands in international women’s cricket. The team is organized by the Royal Dutch Cricket Association and has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1966.
Historical highlights – Netherlands Women’s National Cricket Team
The Dutch women’s team first played an international match in 1937, when Australia toured on its way to play a series in England. The Netherlands made its One Day International (ODI) debut in 1984 against New Zealand, they lost the game by 67 runs. This was 12 years before the Dutch men’s team played their first ODI.
In 2007, the team played a one-off Test match against South Africa, joining Ireland as the only associate member of the ICC to play at that level.
In April 2018, the ICC granted full Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all Twenty20 matches played between the Netherlands women and another international side since 1 July 2018 have the full WT20I status.
In May 2022, the ICC announced the Netherlands as one of five women’s sides to gain ODI status.
Tournament Highlights – Netherlands Women’s National Cricket Team
ICC Women’s World Cup:
In 1988, the ICC Women’s World Cup was hosted by Australia. A total of 5 teams participated: the Netherlands, Australia, England, New Zealand, and Ireland. The Netherlands played 8 matches but didn’t win any, finishing at the bottom of the table.
In 1993, the ICC Women’s World Cup was hosted by England. A total of 8 teams participated: the Netherlands, Australia, England, New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark, India, and the West Indies, all placed in the same group to play in a round robin format. The Netherlands played 7 matches, managing to win only 1 against the West Indies. With 4 points, they finished at the bottom of the table.
In 1997, the ICC Women’s World Cup was played in India. A total of 11 teams participated, with the Netherlands placed in Group B alongside New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies. The Netherlands played 4 matches, winning only 1 against the West Indies. With 4 points, the Netherlands finished in third place and advanced to the quarter final. Australia faced the Netherlands in the quarter-final, where Australia won by 115 runs.
In 2000, the ICC Women’s World Cup was hosted by New Zealand. A total of 8 teams participated: the Netherlands, Australia, England, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, India, and Sri Lanka, all placed in the same group to play in a round-robin format. The Netherlands played 7 matches but weren’t able to win any, finishing at the bottom of the table.
Women’s World T20 Qualifier:
Hosted by Ireland, it was the inaugural edition of the Women’s World T20 Qualifier, with the top three teams advancing to the T20 World Cup held in Bangladesh. A total of eight teams participated in the tournament, divided into two groups. The Netherlands finished second in Group A with one win and two losses. Their only win in the tournament came in the first match against Zimbabwe. They qualified for the semi-final but failed to advance further as they lost their semi-final against Sri Lanka, which was for the third spot.
The 2015 Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier was held in Thailand with eight teams participating. The Netherlands were part of Group B, finishing at the bottom of the table. The Dutch side lost all their three matches in the group. It was the second consecutive edition where they failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup through the qualifiers.
The Netherlands hosted the 2018 edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier. A total of eight teams participated in the tournament, divided into two groups. They were part of Group A consisting of Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, and the United Arab Emirates. Unfortunately for the host nation, they couldn’t win a single match, losing all three matches in the group stage.
The fourth edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers was hosted by Scotland. It was the qualification for the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia. Eight teams were divided into two groups. The Netherlands were part of Group B alongside Thailand, Ireland, and Namibia. They finished third in the group with one win and two losses. They failed to qualify once again in the T20 format.
The 2019 Women’s Qualifier was held in Spain with the top two teams progressing to the 2019 Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier and subsequently to the 2021 World Cup. Germany and Scotland were the other teams involved as the tournament was held in a double round-robin format. The Netherlands finished first in the points table with three wins and one loss.
The 2021 ICC Women’s Qualifier Europe took place in Spain. Five teams were involved, and it was played in a round-robin format. Alongside the Dutch were Scotland, Ireland, Germany, and France. The Netherlands won two and lost two in the tournament, failing to qualify and proceed further.
European Championships:
In the first two editions of the European Championships, the Netherlands finished third in 1989 and 1990. They had a below-par season in 1991, finishing fourth. In the 1995 edition, they ended up finishing third for the third time in four seasons. The 1999 season again turned out to be average for them, finishing fourth. In the 2001 season, they ended up finishing third yet again, short of making it to the final. They had an ordinary outing, finishing fourth in 2005. 2007 was the fifth edition in which they ended up finishing third. In the next two seasons, 2009 and 2010, they made it to the final, ending up as runners-up on both occasions. The 2011 edition was the first time the Dutch won the European Championship before again finishing runners-up in 2014.