The European T20 Premier League (ETPL) 2026’s second match delivered a contest shaped by power, pressure and a decisive middle-overs surge, as Belfast Wolves opened their campaign with a convincing 52-run victory over Dublin Guardians at Sportpark Westvliet in the Netherlands on Thursday.
After a rain-affected start to the afternoon, Dublin Guardians won the toss and elected to bowl, handing Belfast the opportunity to set the first significant total of the match. Chapman’s cricketing journey has been one of the more unusual in international cricket. Maxwell’s partnership with Chapman carried Belfast through the most important phase of the innings.
Born in Hong Kong, he represented Hong Kong before establishing himself as a New Zealand international, and he became one of the few players to score a century on ODI debut when he made an unbeaten 124 for Hong Kong against the UAE in 2015. On this occasion, however, his 54 was only the beginning of Belfast’s acceleration. The pair added 84 runs for the fifth wicket, turning a score of 68 for four into 152 for five by the end of the 17th over.
Glenn Maxwell arrived with Belfast needing another substantial contribution and produced exactly that. His innings provided the decisive injection of momentum into Belfast’s total and earned him the Player of the Match award. That sequence effectively decided the match. George Dockrell then produced the most substantial resistance of the innings.
The Wolves captain struck 60 from just 38 deliveries, hitting two fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 157.89. The Irish all-rounder struck 35 from 22 balls, including three sixes, at a strike rate of 159.09. He found support from Ravichandran Ashwin, who made 15 from 17, but the required rate had already moved beyond Dublin’s reach.
Humphreys already possesses significant international experience despite his age. Fred Klaassen and Mark Adair also claimed two wickets, while Chris Jordan and Saurabh Netravalkar took one each. Sportpark Westvliet once again provided the setting for an ETPL match, with the Voorburg-based venue hosting its second fixture of the inaugural tournament.
The Wolves’ attack therefore complemented the work of their batters perfectly: wickets came regularly enough to prevent Dublin from building a sustained partnership, while the run rate remained firmly under control. The Belfast Wolves player made his senior Ireland debut in 2023 and produced a career-defining Test performance against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in February 2025, returning figures of 6 for 57.
