Ahmedabad, February 17 Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said that the impressive performances by associate nations in the T20 World Cup should lead to more bilateral cricket against Test-playing countries.
A common complaint among associate teams participating in the ongoing T20 tournament is the lack of matches against top teams.
Zimbabwe upset Australia, while teams like Nepal and Italy gave England a tough fight in the league stage.
Speaking ahead of their final league match against India, Netherlands captain Edwards said that consistently performing well in ICC events would be difficult for non-Test playing nations unless they play against the best outside of the World Cups.
"I think this World Cup has been brilliant, with the way many associate teams have played. And hopefully, this will create more opportunities for Test-playing nations to play against associates outside of the World Cups," said Edwards.
Considering these limitations, Edwards believes that his team has performed well on the global stage.
"I think we've probably exceeded our expectations. For a while, we've played good cricket through the World Cups. To reach the next level, more opportunities against Test-playing nations are crucial," he said.
However, Edwards acknowledged that funding and other constraints are a reality. "But it's not really under our control. For us, it's just playing our best cricket when we can on the world stage, and hopefully, that will give us opportunities," he said.
They only get to play teams like India at ICC events, which makes their task more challenging.
"It's a reality for us. We just need to prepare as well as we can and come into these competitions. As I said, the better you play, the more games you win, and the more influence you potentially have," he said.
What specific plans does the team have for Indian batters who have struggled against spin in the last couple of games?
"We have plans for different batters for every game. Obviously, there's a lot of firepower in that Indian side, so we have individual plans for each player. That's what we'll be focusing on," added Edwards.