Fresh Faces, Big Names: ECS Belgium, Waasland 2026 Lands in Beveren

ECS Belgium, Waasland, 2026 brings seven senior men’s club sides to Beveren Cricket Ground for six match days of European Cricket Network action. With every team stepping onto the ECN stage for the first time, the door is wide open for new stories, new heroes, and a brand-new chapter in Belgian club cricket.

A New ECN Chapter in Belgium

The ECS Belgium, Waasland, 2026 is set for Beveren, Belgium, running from Monday 7 September 2026 to Saturday 12 September 2026 at Beveren Cricket Ground.

Staged under the Belgium Cricket Federation, this ECS event brings together seven senior men’s club teams across six match days, with 25 matches planned. And there is a real freshness to the field: Beveren Titans, St Niklaas Capitals, Stekene Defenders, Zwijndrecht Challengers, Kruibeke Polders, Lokeren Super Giants and Temse Knight Riders are all stepping into ECN competition for the first time.

That means no old scripts, no established tournament pecking order in this event — just seven clubs ready to make an immediate impression.

The Teams: Nothing Between Them on Paper

One of the most intriguing parts of this Waasland line-up is how tightly matched the teams look coming in.

Every side carries an ECN rating of 49 overall, and every team is also marked at 49 for batting, 49 for bowling and 49 for fielding. That applies right across the group: Beveren Titans, St Niklaas Capitals, Stekene Defenders, Zwijndrecht Challengers, Kruibeke Polders, Lokeren Super Giants and Temse Knight Riders.

The rankings give the field its early shape, with Beveren Titans at 4,661, St Niklaas Capitals at 4,662, Stekene Defenders at 4,663, Zwijndrecht Challengers at 4,664, Kruibeke Polders at 4,665, Lokeren Super Giants at 4,666 and Temse Knight Riders at 4,667.

On paper, the margins are razor-thin. On the field, someone has to break away.

Star Power to Watch

If one player arrives with numbers that jump off the page, it is Esmatullah Naseri of Kruibeke Polders. He owns the highest ECN batter rating among players in the event at 97, and also the highest ECN bowling rating at 98. Add in a superb bowling average of 11.8, the best among this field, and Naseri shapes as one of the headline all-round threats.

For sheer ECN experience and production, Sherry Butt of Lokeren Super Giants is impossible to ignore. He has played 114 ECN matches, more than anyone else in this event, and has piled up 2,883 ECN runs. He has also struck 263 maximos, the highest total among the players involved here.

Temse Knight Riders bring serious wicket-taking pedigree through Khalid Ahmadi, who leads this group with 91 wickets in ECN events. Temse also have a power-hitting spark in Sanaullah Mamond, whose batting strike rate of 313.0 is the highest in the field, alongside the best maximo rate at 22.5.

Game-Changers Everywhere

The individual records keep the intrigue bubbling.

Nawid Momand of Beveren Titans comes in with the highest batting average among players in the event at 59.67, while teammate Ashiqullah Said owns the best bowling economy rate at 8.4.

For Zwijndrecht Challengers, Wahidullah Jabarkhel brings two standout marks: the best bowling strike rate in the field at 5.6, and the highest individual ECN score among players here, an unbeaten 94 off 32 balls for Antwerp against Royal Brussels on 8 May 2025.

Zwijndrecht also have Arafat Afghan, whose best ECN bowling figures are a sharp 5/12 in 2.0 overs, recorded for Mechelen Eagles against Hornchurch on 29 February 2024.

What to Expect

With seven debuting ECN teams, identical team ratings across batting, bowling and fielding, and a spread of proven individual talent, ECS Belgium, Waasland, 2026 has all the ingredients for a fascinating week in Beveren.

The stage is new for the clubs — but the numbers say plenty of players already know how to make a major ECN impact.