NEW DELHI: Netherlands captain Scott Edwards on Tuesday said the impressive run of associate nations in the T20 World Cup should open doors for more bilateral cricket against Test playing countries.

A lack of regular matches against top teams remains the biggest challenge for associate sides competing in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Zimbabwe national cricket team stunned Australia national cricket team while teams like Nepal national cricket team and Italy national cricket team pushed England cricket team hard during the league stage.

Speaking ahead of their final league match against India national cricket team, Edwards said associate teams will struggle to deliver consistent results in ICC tournaments unless they get more chances to face elite opposition outside global events.

"I think this World Cup has been brilliant with the way a lot of associate sides have played. And hopefully that does promote more opportunities for Test playing nations to play against associates outside of World Cups," said Edwards.

Associate teams need regular exposure against top sides

Given the limited opportunities, Edwards believes the Netherlands have performed admirably on the world stage.

"I think we've probably punched above our weight. For a while, I think we've played a lot of good cricket through World Cups. To get to the next level, a lot of it comes down to more opportunities against Test playing nations.

"However that comes about, there's obviously restrictions with funding for us and those sort of things. 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 gives us opportunities," said Edwards.

The Dutch only face teams like India during ICC tournaments, which makes their task even tougher in major competitions like the T20 World Cup.

"It is a reality for us. For us, it's just preparing as well as we can and coming into these competitions. As I said, the better you play, the more games you win, the more of a voice you potentially have," he said.

Netherlands ready with plans for Indian batters

When asked about specific plans for Indian batters who have struggled against spin in recent T20 World Cup games, Edwards made it clear that preparation remains key.

"We go into every game with plans for different batters. Obviously, there's a lot of firepower in that Indian side, so we've got our individual plans for guys. That's what we'll be looking to do," added Edwards.

(With PTI Inputs)