After a heart-breaking loss in their tournament opener against Pakistan, the Netherlands needed a statement performance to put that disappointment behind them and get their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign up and running. Bas de Leede heard that call and responded in style as he put up a display of all-round brilliance to brush Namibia aside and ensure the Dutch get their first points on the board.
Exorcising Demons From Colombo
Despite making the journey from Colombo to Delhi, The Netherlands would’ve arrived into this contest still carrying the pain of that final-over defeat against Pakistan. In their tournament opener, they pushed Pakistan to the brink, only to be denied a famous win by a late onslaught from Faheem Ashraf.
This time around, against Namibia, the margin for error was slim and de Leede took it upon himself to ensure there were no late twists.
De Leede Makes The Ball Talk
After Namibia lost a couple of early wickets, their captain Gerrard Erasmus finally began to free his arms as he smashed a six and two fours off consecutive deliveries from Timm van der Gugten in the 12th over.
Dutch captain Scott Edwards responded by introducing de Leede into the attack and the all-rounder delivered with only his second delivery. Bowling a back-of-a-length delivery outside off, de Leede tempted Erasmus into a big shot, only for the batter to pick out the fielder smartly positioned at short midwicket.
De Leede returned four overs later to bowl again and once again delivered, this time dismantling J.J. Smit. Attempting a cut shot, Smit missed completely as the ball crashed into the top of off stump. De Leede finished with impressive figures of 2/20, playing a central role in restricting Namibia to 156/8.
A Chase Anchored In Authority
The Dutch chase didn’t begin smoothly, with Max O’Dowd departing in just the third over. But de Leede walked in with intent and batted like a man on a mission, determined to finish the job himself.
In a commanding unbeaten knock of 72 off 48 balls, de Leede struck five fours and four sixes, controlling the tempo of the chase and draining any remaining belief from the Namibian attack. De Leede brought up his fifty off just 38 balls, becoming the first Dutch cricketer to score a fifty and take two wickets in the same match at a T20 World Cup.
His captain Edwards, summed up his impact in his post-game interview saying, “He does it all, doesn’t he? He was sensational. I think he bowled his first over around the 10th and just really took control of the game for us. Then, he was incredibly clinical with the bat as well.”
De Leede meanwhile credited his decision to step away from Country cricket and channel all his energy into his International commitments as the reason behind his success. When asked about his decision to leave Durham after two seasons with the club to focus on the World Cup he said, “It has allowed me to focus. Especially over the last couple of months leading into the T20 World Cup, I knew what was needed and spent a lot of hours specifically trying to improve my game for this.”
On this evidence, that commitment translated seamlessly onto the field. Watch the highlights below to see how Bas de Leede shaped the contest with both bat and ball.
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