Nickname Lionesses Coach Sean Trouw Best result Quarter-final (1997) Location Netherlands | ICC region Europe Appearances 4 (first in 1988) Captain Esther de Lange | |
ICC status Associate member (1966) Association Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond | ||
The Netherlands women's national cricket team, nicknamed the Lionesses, represents the Netherlands in international women's cricket. The team is organised by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond (KNCB), which has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1966.
Contents
- Early years
- 1980s
- 1990s
- 2000s
- World Cup
- European Championship
- Womens World Twenty20
- ODI cricket
- Lists of players
- References
A Dutch women's team first played an international match in 1937, when Australia toured on its way to play a series in England. The team regularly played fixtures against English club sides over the following decades, but it was not until the early 1980s that regular international competition commenced. The Netherlands made its One Day International (ODI) debut in 1984, against New Zealand, and made its World Cup debut at the 1988 edition of the tournament, in Australia. Considered a top-level team from the late 1980s through to the early 2000s, the Netherlands participated in four consecutive World Cups between 1988 and 2000, and made the quarter-finals of the 1997 event. Since 2000, the Dutch side has not qualified for either the World Cup or the World Twenty20, although it retained ODI status until the 2011 World Cup Qualifier. 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.
Early years
The Netherlands took part in women's international cricket from its earliest years, as early as 1937 they hosted the Australians on the first leg of their first ever Women's Ashes tour, before visiting England late the same year.
1980s
The Dutch team played their first ODI in 1984 against New Zealand. This was 12 years before the Dutch men's team played their first ODI. They lost that game by 67 runs, and were next seen in international cricket in 1988, playing in their first World Cup, in which they finished in last place. They finished third in the first European Championship in 1989.
1990s
They again finished third in the European Championship in 1990, and finished fourth the following year. The 1993 World Cup was again a disappointment, with another last place finish. 1995 saw them again finish third in the European Championship.
1997 was a busy year for the Dutch team, travelling to the Mikkelberg-Kunst-und-Cricket Center in Germany to play two ODIs against Denmark, a trip they repeated in 1998. They also visited Sri Lanka for a three match ODI series against the hosts, which they won 2–1, which remains their sole ODI series victory. This was followed by the World Cup, in which they avoided last place by reaching the quarter finals before being knocked out by Australia.
1999 saw another tour to Sri Lanka, where they lost the five match ODI series 5–0. This was followed by a last place finish in the European Championship in Denmark.
2000s
2000 saw the Dutch team's fourth and, to date, final World Cup appearance, where they again finished last. This was followed in 2001 by a tour to Pakistan where the hosts went 4–0 up in the seven match ODI series before the Netherlands won the final three games. Later in the year saw another third-place finish in the European Championship.
Their only cricket in 2002 was a three match ODI series against New Zealand, which saw three heavy defeats, two by more than 200 runs. The following year they hosted the 2003 IWCC Trophy, the inaugural edition of what is now the World Cup Qualifier. They needed to finish in the top two to gain qualification for the 2005 World Cup, but could only manage third place.
Their next international engagement was the European Championship in 2005, finishing in fourth place. 2006 saw a two match ODI series against Ireland, which they lost 2–0. The year did see some good news for them though, as the ICC announced that the top ten women's teams would have Test and ODI status. Their third-place finish in the IWCC Trophy in 2003, meant that the Dutch were included in this top ten. In February 2008 the Dutch women retained their test status for another four years by reaching the semi-final of the Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier.