T20 World Cup: Namibia meet Netherlands in their opener
What's the story
The Netherlands and Namibia will clash in Match 10 of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, on February 10. The Dutch team is looking for their first win of the tournament after suffering a defeat in its opening match, while Team Namibia is playing its first match. The stakes are high, as a loss for the Dutch team could mean early elimination from the tournament. Here is the match preview.
Match details
A look at the pitch report
The Arun Jaitley Stadium is one of India's smaller venues, which means short boundaries could lead to some high scores. In eight T20Is played here over eight years, teams have averaged a score of 165. The last match here was in October 2024, when India smashed Bangladesh for a whopping total of 221 runs. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream it on the JioHotstar app/website (11:00am IST).
Qualification success
Namibia returns to the World Cup after Africa qualifiers
Namibia, the only team in Group A yet to play a match, have made it to their fourth consecutive T20 World Cup. The team's consistency was evident in a competitive Africa qualifiers tournament. This match will also be their first T20I since October 2025. They won their last encounter against South Africa in a thrilling final-over finish.
Match recap
Netherlands suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Pakistan
The Netherlands suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Pakistan in their opening match. Pakistan were on the verge of victory, needing just 50 runs off nine overs, but a double-wicket maiden by Paul van Meekeren created a slowdown. Despite his stellar performance (2/20), the team couldn't secure the win. Now, they face Namibia with high stakes and no room for error.
Information
What is the head-to-head record?
As per ESPNcricinfo, Netherlands and Namibia have tackled each other in four completed T20Is, with the Dutch team leading the head-to-head 3-1. Netherlands also prevailed in the two teams' most recent encounter in February 2024.
XIs
Predicted playing XIs of both teams
Netherlands (Probable XI): Michael Levitt, Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (captain & wicket-keeper), Zach Lion-Cachet, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Kyle Klein, and Paul van Meekeren. Namibia (Probable XI): Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (captain), JJ Smit, Malan Kruger, Zane Green (wicket-keeper), Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, Ben Shikongo, and Max Heingo.
Player spotlight
Players to watch out for
Paul van Meekeren, who took 2/20 from four overs against Pakistan, will be one to watch. Skipper Scott Edwards made 37 runs off 29 balls in the game. JJ Smit was Namibia's star player in the Africa qualifiers. He finished with 197 runs at an average of 98.50 and a strike rate of 187.61. Gerhard Erasmus is Namibia's highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history with 305 runs at 23.46.