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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter

THE Netherlands have become the first cricket team to arrive in Zimbabwe ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier to be hosted in Bulawayo starting next week.

The Dutch, who are favourites along with hosts Zimbabwe, touched down in Harare today and will have exactly one week to acclimatise before the tournament begins on July 11.

They arrived in Zimbabwe on the back of a busy schedule in the last six months when they played a series of international matches, albeit in One Day Internationals, against Afghanistan, New Zealand, West Indies and lately, England.

They are in Group B along with Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and Uganda. Hosts Zimbabwe are in Group A where they will play Jersey, Singapore and USA.

The eight-team tournament, set for Queens Sports Club and Bulawayo Athletic Club, is one of two global contests that together form the final stage of the qualification process for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 to be staged in Australia later in the year.

The hosts are already in a training camp in Bulawayo, which began last week, under new coach Dave Houghton.

Zimbabwe and Singapore sealed their places in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B 2022 based on their ICC MRF Tyres Men’s T20I Team rankings.

The Netherlands and PNG entered the qualification pathway at this stage following their finishing positions in the first round at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 co-hosted by the UAE and Oman, while Hong Kong, Jersey, Uganda and the USA advanced from the regional finals.

Netherlands squad: Scott Edwards (c), Shariz Ahmed, Logan van Beek, Philippe Boissevain, Tom Cooper, Aryan Dutt, Brandon Glover, Fred Klaassen, Bas de Leede, Paul van Meekeren, Stephan Myburgh, Teja Nidamanuru, Tim Pringle, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh.