One Day status for Dutch women's cricket team

At the end of 2021, the Netherlands played a World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe that was prematurely aborted due to the outbreak of the omikron variant of the coronavirus. The result was that the teams with the highest ODI ranking before the tournament were allowed to go to the World Cup.

The proverbial grapes were sour for countries such as Thailand, Scotland and the Netherlands, which had proven that they had made great strides in terms of technique, tactics and fitness, but nevertheless missed out.

The ICC has now decided to grant five countries ODI status with immediate effect. In addition to the Netherlands, these are the United States, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and Scotland. By playing matches against these countries, the Netherlands can rise in the world rankings and possibly force placement for a qualifying tournament in the future.

KNCB High Performance Manager Roland Lefebvre: "The award of ICC ODI status is a recognition of the hard work and good results of the Dutch women's team over the past few years. Qualification for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe and a historic victory over Ireland show that the team is on the right track and can compete with the world's sub-top teams. The appointment of national women's coach Shane Deitz in March 2021 is starting to pay off and the ICC ODI status will certainly contribute to the further professionalisation of women's cricket in the Netherlands."

National coach Shane Deitz: "This is great news for women's cricket in the Netherlands. We now have the opportunity to play some meaningful 50 over matches and have a pathway to the 2025 World Cup. We played good cricket in Zimbabwe and were competitive against Sri Lanka and Ireland, so I think the girls deserve this. But like all opportunities, they need to be taken and we need to prepare well so we don't waste this chance."