Cricket in the Netherlands

Cricket has been played in the Netherlands since at least the 19th century, and in the 1860s was considered a major sport in the country. The sport is governed by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond (KNCB).

Other sports (notably football) have long since surpassed cricket in popularity amongst the Dutch but today there are around 6,500 cricketers in the Netherlands and recent developments show that cricket is growing in Netherlands. The first national association, the forerunner of today's KNCB, was formed in 1883, and the Netherlands achieved associate membership of the ICC in 1966.

The Dutch national side has qualified for the World Cup on four occasions (1996, 2003, 2007, and 2011) and the ICC World Twenty20 on three occasions (2009, 2014 and 2016). The team previously had One Day International (ODI) status, but lost its status at the 2014 World Cup Qualifier, at which at failed to qualify for the 2015 World Cup.

The popularity of cricket in the Netherlands has also influenced the sport's development in both former Dutch colonies and current members of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Cricket in Indonesia was introduced by the Dutch, Sint Maarten is a member of the West Indies Cricket Board, and Suriname is an associate member of the ICC.

The popularity of cricket in the Netherlands has also influenced the sport's development in former Dutch colonies, including current members of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Suriname is an associate member of the ICC, and Sint Maarten is a member of the West Indies Cricket Board, which has full membership.