Paul van Meekeren (Source: AFP) The veteran Netherlands pacer, Paul van Meekeren, will be appearing in his fifth T20 World Cup at the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Notably, he has been the most successful bowler for the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup since their first-ever appearance in the 2009 edition. Since their debut in 2009, the Dutch have played all the T20 World Cups except for the 2012 edition. Throughout all these appearances for the Netherlands, Paul van Meekeren is the leading wicket-taker for them in their entire journey in the T20 World Cup history. He has played 16 World T20 games for his side, picking 23 wickets in 15 innings with an economy rate of 6.11, including a four-wicket haul to his name. Meanwhile, Paul van Meekeren recently spoke his heart out in an exclusive interview with CREX ahead of his team’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign opener against Pakistan on February 7 in Colombo. Here are the excerpts from Paul van Meekeren’s exclusive interview with CREXQuestion: Do the Netherlands still see themselves as underdogs, or is that label outdated? Paul van Meekeren: I think the ‘underdog’ tag is given by the media and the fans. We always go into one game a day, try to win it, and believe that we can. There are two big names in our group, Pakistan and India. Pakistan is often a very talented team, but sometimes plays a bit up and down. On the other hand, India seems to be on a different planet at the moment compared to any other team in the world. We’ve got a very good build-up for our first game against Pakistan. We have spent some extra time on this game. Hopefully, we can make those extra meetings count for a win. Question: How are the preparations and mindset in the dressing room ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026’s opening game against Pakistan? Paul van Meekeren: I think the bowling unit has always been our strength, it (bowling unit) hasn’t really changed compared to the last couple of World Cups. Fred Klaassen is back from back injuries, so he is probably a newer name for some of the people after a couple of years with some injury concerns, but the rest of the bowling attack should be pretty well known. I think our batting has significantly improved. As a bowler, looking at the batting side of the team, they look fantastic, they look like they have upped their power game, and it almost feels like a little bit less pressure on the bowlers because I think our batters will do something special in this tournament, so watch out for them. Question: Pakistan takes pride in its fast bowling unit; do you feel it's something personal for you as a pacer? Paul van Meekeren: Yeah, obviously, Pakistan have a very strong tradition of fast bowlers, we’re probably going to play in conditions they probably know better than us. We’ve been quite lucky to have played them in the 2022 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup, and we also played some ODIs against them in 2022. I don't think we'll be surprised by what they bring in the T20 World Cup 2026 opener. We know their pacers pretty well. Having played so many games in the last few years against their four key players, that star-struck feeling is gone. So, we can focus on our own game, our own skills, and we are not scared of these guys. It’s going to be a fantastic game. We’re definitely going to throw a few surprises at them. I’m sure they will do the homework on us, but they haven’t seen some of the stuff we’re going to bring in the first game. Question: Have you done any specific preparations for the game against Pakistan, or are you treating it like just another game? Paul van Meekeren: I think we are treating it as just any other game; though, it is a big game for us, but we also have four other teams to focus a bit more, including a bigger team like India, alongside two associates, the USA and Namibia. But we’re excited about the first game against Pakistan. Hopefully, we can start with an upset in the tournament’s first game, as we did all the way back in 2009 when we played the tournament opener against England. We played the first game of the edition against them and won. I was there in the crowd as a young aspiring Dutch cricketer who wanted to play for the national team. Hopefully, I can do the same as a player now. Question: You played the last World Cup (ODI) in similar Indian conditions in which you are going to play this T20 World Cup. What has changed in the dressing room since then? Paul van Meekeren: I think, first, having an experience of playing in India, most of the players from the current squad were in India. So, almost everyone has a quiet experience of these conditions. Apart from that, individual skills have improved significantly since then. Hopefully, we won't be caught out by the conditions, because we’ve experienced them. I think our support staff, captain, and coaches have spent a lot of time analysing data and numbers. So, even though we didn’t play on all the grounds we'll be playing on this time, we can use the data to make it feel like a home game. Question: Your former Dutch teammate, Tendo (Ryan ten Doeschate), is currently with India. Do you think that might compromise your chances against India? Paul van Meekeren: I don’t think so. Tendo (Ryan Ten Doeschate) obviously knows most of the guys in the Dutch team, but he has been away for a couple of years. He played for us in the 2021 T20 World Cup, almost four years ago. So, he’s been out of the Dutch system for a while; there are a lot of new faces in the team he's probably never seen before. So, his being on India's side against us might not favour them much. He might need to spend a bit more time on us and do a lot of homework. He’ll probably follow the first three games closely to get a sense of our current setup. Question: Who do you think will be the leading run-scorers in the T20 World Cup 2026? Paul van Meekeren: I think Abhishek Sharma from India has been on a sensational run of form, so I think he’ll be one of the guys. Finn Allen from New Zealand is also in good form. Meanwhile, one can’t rule out Aussie Travis Head, who has been in great touch across all formats. So, these three might lead the chart of the highest run-scorers in the tournament. Question: Who do you think will be the leading wicket-takers in the T20 World Cup 2026? Paul van Meekeren: I think Jasprit Bumrah will definitely be one of them, while Sri Lanka’s pacer resembling Lasith Malinga (Mathesha Pathirana), alongside their few spinners, might also make it to this list. From New Zealand, I think Mitchell Santner has been a consistent performer with the ball, so he also has good chances. Question: Who do you think could be the most impactful all-rounders in the T20 World Cup 2026? Paul van Meekeren: I think Hardik Pandya has been one of the most efficient all-rounders in T20 cricket currently. Speaking of the other contemporary all-rounders, they have a strong hold in either batting or bowling, but Hardik [Pandya] has been one of the most versatile performers in both the aspects. Sikandar Raza and Bas de Leede can also not be ruled out from this list. Question: What is your prediction about the semi-finalists of the T20 World Cup 2026? Paul van Meekeren: I will go with India, who are in great touch for the last couple of T20I assignments; they are definitely there. I am also seeing Australia and New Zealand there, alongside Afghanistan, as the fourth team.
