The Netherlands have been playing cricket since the 19th century and it used to be a very popular sport in the country until football took over. They were made the Associate Member by the ICC in 1966 and have been a part of every ICC World Cup Qualifier (ICC Trophy). The Dutch have also participated in the 1996, 2003, 2007 and 2011 Cricket World Cups and have always been one of the better teams among Associates.

The Dutch team got their full ODI status in 2006 which lasted until 2014. They regained their ODI status after the conclusion of the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier and will retain it till the next edition in 2022. Also, the Netherlands have the T20I status after ICC's decision to grant it to all its members. The most notable success for the Dutch in this format came during the 2014 World T20 when they upset England by 45 runs. However, in the same edition, they were bundled out for only 39 by Sri Lanka, the lowest team total in T20Is.