One cricket family with a chance to qualify for three World Cups

Three World Cup qualifications, that's what it's all about during this cricket summer. If all goes well, the Netherlands will be represented at three world championships next year. The same could apply to cricket family De Leede, because at every qualifying tournament a family member comes into action.

"If we qualify for the world championship, it will be really mega for us. That's why the qualifying tournament is the most important thing for me this year," Bas de Leede (25) looks ahead. At the beginning of July, he will play with the Dutch national men’s team at ‘his’ VCC ground against Scotland, Jersey, Guernsey and Italy. The best two countries will qualify for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, which will take place early next year.

According to Bas, Scotland is the biggest competitor of the four teams that come to Voorburg. In recent years, the Scots have been to the Netherlands regularly and last year they also played at VCC. That's why Bas thinks that compared to Scotland, the home advantage is not very big. "We are confident that we can qualify if we play our best cricket in those four matches. As a team, we are in good shape. It's very nice that we played matches together in the winter and now we are training again with the entire selection in the Netherlands." 

Three qualifications

After the tournament, the 91-time international and player of Durham returns to England for the rest of his season. In between the matches, he will keep an eye on the performances of his brother Tom (17) and cousin Babette (25), because there is also a World Cup qualifying tournament on the program for them.

Fixtures World Cup qualifications:

World Cup T20 qualification 5 – 11 July (VCC)

World Cup Under -19 qualification 31 July – 6 August (Scotland)

World Cup T20 qualification women 20 – 27 August (VOC)

At the end of the season, the Dutch ladies will be in action at VOC. For Babette (82 caps), who became South Africa's champion of the Western Province T20 this winter with her team, it will be her first qualifying tournament as captain. "I really like that and it really adds something to your own game. Cricket is already a sport that you have enough to think about, but as a captain there is an extra challenge."

Experience

Unlike her cousins, Babette's team cannot qualify directly for the World Cup. If they finish in the top-2 during the tournament at VOC, the Dutch ladies will be allowed to participate in the 'Global Qualifier' either late 2025 or early next year, the tournament where they narrowly missed the semi-finals last year. "The tournament in Abu Dhabi was really an eye-opener for us, because we were already so close."  According to Babette, they certainly had a chance, but they were not good enough yet. "We now have a really good team with a lot of potential, have been able to play more games in the last two years and it is a big advantage that we have fewer changes within the team."

Not only the women's team can take confidence from last year's tournament, the same goes for the Under-19s. "I think it has been very nice for us that we have already played a tournament together," says Tom about the qualifying tournament won in Denmark. "As a team, you are even better attuned to each other, since as a youth team you don't play these kinds of matches very often. It gives a good feeling that we won and playing matches abroad together with your best friends from the game is always very nice."

For all three, a qualifying tournament is no longer new, but can you actually benefit from that previous experience? Bas: "It depends on how you use the experience. I try to use it by knowing what to expect and finding out what I can do better than last time." 

First of the family

If the Under-19 wins the tournament in Scotland, it will be the first time since 2000 that the Netherlands has qualified for the World Cup. "In any case, it is important for our team, because we would like to go to the World Cup. In addition, it would be extra special, because the Netherlands U19 has only managed to qualify once in history."

A nice side effect for Tom is that he can achieve something that his brother Bas (two participations) and father Tim (Under-19 World Cup did not exist yet) never managed. Bas and Tim have both been active at the 'real' world championship, something Tom would also like to achieve. To get even better, the youngest cricketer in the family can always knock on the door for tips. "Now I'm at an age where it's sometimes useful to ask my brother things if I run into something or find something difficult and of course I always have my father too. So that's very convenient." " 

"I'm a bit the same as my father in that," Bas adds to his brother sitting next to him. "If he has any questions, he is always welcome and otherwise I let him be. Every now and then there are things that I am learning myself now and that I think will help me to become a better player. I try to pass that on now so that he can learn that at the age of seventeen and hopefully be a bit further than I was."

Bad losers

In addition to helping each other, there is also a healthy battle among themselves. During the first games of the season, they were on the field together on behalf of VCC and trained together in the nets. Bas: "Tom was bowling at me the other day, I tried to play a shot and then the ball hit my arm. He tried to act cool and of course I wanted to show that I didn't feel anything. I thought that was very funny. I think you always have to be competitive if you want to make something of your sport."   

Competitiveness and fanaticism is something Babette recognizes in herself and the rest of the family. "We don’t like to lose," she says with a laugh. These characteristics have ensured that it may well be that three De Leedes will participate in a Cricket World Cup in 2026. "I actually don't think enough about how special it is," says Babette. "That also has to do with the fact that I play in South Africa and Bas in England, but it is certainly special and hopefully all three of us qualify for the World Cup."

Photo credits:

Tom: KNCB

Bas: ICC/ Getty Images

Babette: CAN