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- Netherlands vs Namibia highlights, T20 World Cup 2026: Bas de Leede shines as Netherlands beat Namibia by 7 wickets
Netherlands vs Namibia highlights, T20 World Cup 2026: Bas de Leede shines as Netherlands beat Namibia by 7 wickets
Schedule | Points Table
Put in to bat, Namibia posted a competitive 156 for eight from their 20 overs, built around a measured innings from Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton and valuable cameos through the middle. Namibia began cautiously and lost Louren Steenkamp early, but Loftie-Eaton steadied the innings with a patient 42 off 38 balls, mixing placement with timely boundaries. Jan Frylinck supported him with a brisk 30 from 26 deliveries as Namibia reached 60 for two at the halfway stage.
Skipper Gerhard Erasmus briefly lifted the tempo, smashing 18 off just nine balls, while JJ Smit added impetus late with a 22-run cameo off 15 balls. However, Namibia struggled to fully capitalise at the death, losing wickets at regular intervals. Logan van Beek and Bas de Leede were the standout bowlers for the Netherlands, picking up two wickets each and keeping a tight leash during key phases, as Namibia finished slightly below par on a surface that eased under lights.
In reply, the Netherlands made light work of the chase, reaching 159 for three in just 18 overs. Opener Michael Levitt set the tone with an aggressive 28 off 15 balls, including three sixes, before falling in the powerplay. After Max O’Dowd’s early dismissal, Bas de Leede took control of the innings with a composed yet authoritative knock.
De Leede anchored the chase with an unbeaten 72 off 48 balls, striking five fours and four sixes, while rotating the strike efficiently. Colin Ackermann complemented him well with a steady 32 from 28 balls as the pair added a decisive 70-run stand. Namibia’s bowlers struggled to apply sustained pressure, with only Bernard Scholtz and Ruben Trumpelmann managing breakthroughs.
Captain Scott Edwards ensured there were no late hiccups, finishing things off with a rapid 18 not out from nine balls as the Netherlands crossed the line comfortably.
The win further enhanced the Netherlands’ remarkable record in Men’s T20 World Cups. With this victory, they moved to 11 wins overall, the most by any Associate team in the tournament’s history, and boast the best win-loss ratio (0.647) among the 15 Associate sides to have featured so far.
Once again, the Dutch demonstrated why they are no longer just plucky underdogs, but a well-drilled unit capable of consistently delivering on the big stage.
- Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 37 (32)
- Gerhard Erasmus 3 (3)
Colin Ackermann to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Slightly short, flatter trajectory and on middle, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton makes room and slaps it to point. 13 runs off the over.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Slows up the pace, bowls it full and outside off, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton steps inside the line to slog-sweep but misses.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, FOUR! Streaky! Colin Ackermann offers width outside off, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton hangs on the back foot to cut but gets a thick outside edge, past short third for four more.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, A wide yorker, outside off, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton throws his blade and guides it past point, in the deep for a brace.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, SIX! Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton had his heart in his mouth for a second there. Tossed up, around off and turning away. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton comes down and swings hard but plays off the outer half of the bat. It goes high and just enough over long off for a six.
Colin Ackermann to Gerhard Erasmus, Well played but just gets a run! Shorter and too wide outside off, Gerhard Erasmus guides it straight to short third for a single.
- Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 25 (27)
- Gerhard Erasmus 2 (2)
Logan van Beek to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Overpitched delivery, on leg, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton makes room and drives it away wide of sweeper cover for a couple of runs.
Logan van Beek to Gerhard Erasmus, Hard length and into the body of the batter, Gerhard Erasmus tucks it away to deep fine for one.
Logan van Beek to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Much fuller and on middle, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton backs away and drills it to deep point for a run.
Logan van Beek to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Back of a length and on middle, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton swats it to short mid-wicket.
Logan van Beek to Gerhard Erasmus, On a length and around leg, Gerhard Erasmus clips it through square leg for a single.
The skipper of Namibia, Gerhard Erasmus, replaces Jan Frylinck.
Pace again. Here is Logan van Beek with his second over. He went for 5 runs in his opening over.
Logan van Beek to Jan Frylinck, OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Logan van Beek bangs this into the pitch, on off, rolls his fingers to take the pace off. Jan Frylinck goes for the pull shot but pulls the trigger early and gets a bottom edge behind, where Scott Edwards, the keeper, makes no mistake. Frylinck goes back for 30 off 26, and the 50-run stand has been broken now.
- Jan Frylinck 30 (25)
- Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 22 (24)
Colin Ackermann to Jan Frylinck, Short and around off, Jan Frylinck punches it through covers for one. That also brings up the 50-run stand between these two batters.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Frylinck, Darts in a wide yorker, outside off, Jan Frylinck squeezes it out to backward point.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, DROPPED! A big chance goes begging here! Colin Ackermann tosses it up, full and around middle, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton goes for the reverse sweep, but gets a top edge. Bas de Leede at extra cover runs backwards to his right, extends his arms as he tries to take over his shoulder but spills it out. There is a run out chance at the bowler's end, but the throw is well wide of the bowler, and Ackermann fails to gather it, giving Loftie-Eaton time to make his ground.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Frylinck, Fires one full, on off, Jan Frylinck drills it to long off for a single.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Frylinck, FOUR! A welcome boundary for Namibia! Quicker delivery, short but down the leg side. Jan Frylinck just helps it on its way towards the fine leg fence for four runs.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Frylinck, WIDE! Flatter, full and down the leg side, Jan Frylinck fails to glance it away. Called a wide.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Floated, short and around middle and leg, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton moves across and scoops it on the bounce to short fine for a single.
- Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 20 (22)
- Jan Frylinck 24 (21)
Timm van der Gugten to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Bangs this into the pitch, on middle, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton pulls it to deep mid-wicket for one more.
Timm van der Gugten to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Short of a length and outside off, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton cuts it away wide of backward point, but the fielder dives to his left to make a half-stop. The ball gets away but the batters do not run.
Timm van der Gugten to Jan Frylinck, Hard length and around off, Jan Frylinck swats it down to long off for a run.
Timm van der Gugten to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Pitched up and on off, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton drills it off the bottom half of the bat towards long on for a single. The batters are really struggling for timing here.
Timm van der Gugten to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Back of a length and around off, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton steers it away to point.
Timm van der Gugten to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Fuller and around off, angling away, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton goes after it and slices it over point. Max O'Dowd in the deep runs to his right and dives to make a good stop. Two taken.
Bowling change. Timm van der Gugten to steam in now...
- Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 16 (17)
- Jan Frylinck 23 (20)
Zach Lion-Cachet to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Quicker, full and on leg, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton drills it to long on for one more.
Zach Lion-Cachet to Jan Frylinck, Too full and on middle, eased to long on for a single.
Zach Lion-Cachet to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Flighted, full and on middle, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton slogs it wide of long on for one.
Zach Lion-Cachet to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Dragged back and around off, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton punches it to cover-point.
Zach Lion-Cachet to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Timber, but it does not matter as it is a Free Hit! Fires this one full and around middle. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton has a wild swing across the line but fails to connect as the ball crashes onto the stumps.
Zach Lion-Cachet to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Just out of the reach! Flighted, full and on middle. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton backs away to loft it but ends up slicing it over extra cover. Aryan Dutt from mid off is a bit late to move to his right. He sticks out his right hand, but the ball does not stick in. Two taken. Well, it would not have mattered as Lion-Cachet has overstepped here. It is called a No Ball. Free Hit to follow now.
Zach Lion-Cachet to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Tossed up, full and on middle, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton pushes it to short cover.
DRINKS BREAK! A decent start by both teams. The Dutch spinners are getting some purchase but have to be spot on with their lines and lengths, as anything on offer, Namibia have been putting away. The Jans have looked good for Namibia so far and will hope they dominate the consolidation period as well. Also, Zach Lion-Cachet is into the attack.
- Jan Frylinck 22 (19)
- Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 12 (11)
Colin Ackermann to Jan Frylinck, FOUR! Up and over! Colin Ackermann drags his length back and delivers it just outside off. Jan Frylinck makes a bit of room for himself. He access the off side and slaps it over extra cover for a boundary. Namibia are 40/1 at the end of the Powerplay!
Colin Ackermann to Jan Frylinck, Pushed through quicker, shortish and on off, skids through a bit. Jan Frylinck looks to slog it down the ground but misses as the ball keeps a bit low. Scott Edwards once again collects and breaks the stumps, but nothing doing.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Flatter, short and around off, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton makes room and steers it to backward point for a single.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, SIX! BOOM! That is a top shot. Flighted delivery, full and around middle. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton clears his front leg away and tonks it over the bowler's head. He does not even look at the ball after hitting it, as he knows it is going for a biggie.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, A shout for LBW, but turned down! However, Scott Edwards has taken the review here. This is tossed up, full and on middle and leg. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton goes down for the sweep but misses and gets hit on the pads. UltraEdge confirms no bat is involved and Ball Tracking shows that the ball is clipping the leg stump on the umpire's call. The on-field decision stays but Netherlands keep their review.
Colin Ackermann to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Play and a miss! Colin Ackermann floats it up, goes short and around middle, turns away a bit. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton backs away to go over covers but misses. Scott Edwards is quick to break the stumps, but Loftie-Eaton never left his crease.
- Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 5 (7)
- Jan Frylinck 18 (17)
Aryan Dutt to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, On a length, around the fourth stump. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton knocks it wide of point for a single to end the over.
Aryan Dutt to Jan Frylinck, A half-tracker on the slower side and drifting onto the batter, JF bunts it to square leg for one more.
Aryan Dutt to Jan Frylinck, Superb fielding! Flatter delivery, outside off, Frylinck crunches off the back foot to short cover. Zach Lion-Cachet puts in a full stretch dive, stops it with his outstretched right hand to save a certain boundary.
Aryan Dutt to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton makes a lot of room and Dutt cancels it out by bowling it close to his front pad, this is punched past point for a single.
Aryan Dutt to Jan Frylinck, Darted on the pads, clipped behind square on the leg side for a single.
Aryan Dutt to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Dragged length, around leg and follows Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton on the leg side, this is dabbed to third man for a single.
Will Aryan Dutt get a third over? Yes, he will. It will be interesting to see whether the Namibia batters try to take him on or just play out.
- Jan Frylinck 16 (14)
- Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 2 (4)
Fred Klaassen to Jan Frylinck, SIX! Authoritative shot! Fred Klaassen delivers another half-volley, a bit straighter and in the slot. Frylinck presents full face of the blade and launches it down the ground for the first six of the game.
Asked to bat first, Namibia posted a competitive 156 for eight, built around a measured knock from Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, who top-scored with 42 off 38 balls. Jan Frylinck gave the innings early impetus with 30 from 26 deliveries, while skipper Gerhard Erasmus provided a late spark, blazing away to 18 off just nine balls. JJ Smit’s brisk 22 off 15 balls helped Namibia maintain momentum through the middle overs, but regular wickets prevented them from fully capitalising.
The Netherlands bowlers kept things tight, with Logan van Beek and Bas de Leede leading the charge. Van Beek’s controlled spell of 2 for 13 and de Leede’s 2 for 20 ensured Namibia were never able to break free, while Aryan Dutt also impressed with his economy, conceding just 13 runs in three overs.
In reply, the Dutch chase was anchored by a superb all-round performance from de Leede, who followed up his bowling effort with an unbeaten 72 off 48 balls. Opener Michael Levitt set the tone with a quickfire 28 from 15 deliveries, striking three sixes to power the Netherlands to 50 in the powerplay. Although Levitt and Max O’Dowd departed early, de Leede and Colin Ackermann stitched together a decisive partnership.
Ackermann played the supporting role to perfection, scoring 32 off 28 balls as the pair added 70 runs for the third wicket, steadily taking the game away from Namibia. After Ackermann fell late in the chase, skipper Scott Edwards finished things off in style, smashing 18 not out from nine balls to seal victory in the 18th over.
The win further burnished the Netherlands’ impressive record at the Men’s T20 World Cup. With 11 victories, they now have the most wins among Associate teams in the tournament’s history, ahead of Scotland (8), Afghanistan and Namibia (5 each), and Ireland (3). Their win-loss ratio of 0.647 remains the best among the 15 Associate nations to have featured in the competition.
For Namibia, the defeat highlighted familiar issues — competitive totals undone by disciplined bowling and composed batting from the opposition. For the Netherlands, it was another statement performance, blending control, depth and big-match temperament on the global stage.
Match Statistics
Venue
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
