Remember Dutch “total football?” Get ready for “total cricket” from an orange-clad underdog team at the World Cup in India. (Full Coverage | Schedule | Netherlands Squad | Cricket News)
Netherlands coach Ryan Cook uses the term, first coined for the dominant Dutch soccer team led by Johan Cruyff in the 1970s, to describe the high-intensity way his team prepares and plays limited-overs cricket.
It's seen the team qualify as the only second-tier “associate” cricket nation for the tournament at stadiums across India from Oct. 5 until the Nov. 19 final.
“I think this team is unique in the way that the culture is set up," Cook said. "Everyone has a voice, everyone is equal in terms of their contributions to the team and ... they're celebrated for their differences.”
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At a qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe, the Dutch showed that on their day they can mix it with the big boys of world cricket, bowling out Sri Lanka — one of their opponents in India — for 213 before falling short in the run chase and edging the West Indies in a super over thriller.
The Dutch showed their strength in depth against the West Indies with Indian-born Teja Nidamanuru scoring a 76-ball 111 and Australian-born captain and wicketkeeper Scott Edwards adding 67.
However, they were both upstaged by all-rounder Logan van Beek, who once played for New Zealand at an under-19 basketball world cup. He blasted three sixes and three fours off Jason Holder in the super over and followed that up by taking two wickets for eight runs to seal victory in five balls of the West Indies reply.
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But this Netherlands team is about more than its overseas players with Dutch roots. Home-grown talent Bas de Leede served up arguably the performance of the tournament as the Netherlands edged Scotland to secure its World Cup berth.
De Leede, who plays English county cricket for Durham, took five wickets and scored a 92-ball 123 as the Netherlands chased down Scotland's total of 277. He became only the fifth player to score a century and take five wickets in a one-day international. The others include the West Indies' Viv Richards and Paul Collingwood of England.
Cricket runs in the family — De Leede's father Tim is a former star of the national team who memorably took a stunning one-handed catch at the 2011 Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka to dismiss Aravinda De Silva.
The Dutch team in India will look different to the one that secured qualification in Zimbabwe. Colin Ackermann, Paul van Meekeren and Roelof van der Merwe all return to strengthen the lineup after missing the qualifiers due to county cricket commitments.
The one major player missing is injured left arm seam bowler Fred Klaassen, who plays county cricket for Kent.
“He's a big one for us and would have formed a good part of our bowling,” Cook said.
Cricket is very much a minority sport in the Netherlands, with only a handful of grass wickets, few indoor training facilities and a small pool of players in a country where soccer, field hockey and tennis are far more popular.
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Even so, the Dutch are no strangers to playing at the ODI World Cup. They have reached the tournament four times previously, in 1996, '99, 2003 and 2011. The team won just two of its total of 20 matches at those events.
Cook is aiming to add to that win tally in India.
“We obviously (are) looking to try and win as many games as we can to put ourselves in position to ... compete to get into the semifinals,” he said.
