Can the Flying Dutchmen make it out of the lowlands of cricket
The Dutch dark horses have shown they can cause an upset this World Cup despite defeat to Pakistan.
Bas de Leede took a four-fer and scored 67 as he nearly dragged the Netherlands to their first victory at an ODI cricket World Cup since 2007. This almost victory showed how close Holland are to a huge upset this tournament.
After a shaky start for Pakistan, their middle-order fought back to post a respectable, but chaseable, 286. An entertaining start saw Vikramjit Singh get off to a flyer before Haris Rauf and Pakistan retaliated to tear through the Dutch middle-order and tail.
Although a victory by 81 runs suggests a comfortable win, the way the Netherlands played shocked not only Pakistan but also the rest of the competition. The big question now is: can Holland cause an upset?
Top-order finesse
Arguably the Netherlands’ strongest suit, the top order has a great mix of experience, power and poise. The opening partnership includes stalwart, Max O’Dowd and the promising Singh. Singh showed, against Pakistan, he can devastate an attack, carving Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi for five boundaries in the first five overs.
Although O’Dowd failed to make an impact, he is arguably more dangerous. He averages almost 40 in ODIs and averaged 41 in the 2021 T20 World Cup and 37 in the tournament’s qualifying event. It will be hard for teams to keep him quiet during this competition.
All-rounders
Following that opening pair, comes an array of all-rounders. Colin Ackermann and Bas de Leede both provide steadiness through the middle-order and are two of their key bowlers. Ackermann bowled very tidily against Pakistan, taking 2-39, while Bas de Leede got the crucial breakthrough of Mohammed Rizwan, before tearing through the tail.
Logan van Beek, who scored 28 from 28 balls against Pakistan, showed his skills to help Netherlands qualify for the World Cup. In a pivotal match against the West Indies, he scored 28 with the bat to tie the game up. He then proceeded to hit six boundaries in the Super Over, setting 30 to win and took both wickets to all but seal qualification.
Lack of experience
Wesley Barresi, the reserve wicketkeeper, is the most capped player in the squad, with 45 ODI appearances. This is minuscule compared to all other nations in the World Cup. Every other team has at least one player, often many more, with a century of ODI caps. This shows the lack of international pedigree within this squad.
Teja Nidamanuru on the team's journey in the past 12 months. pic.twitter.com/HLkVn2zSH8
— Cricket🏏Netherlands (@KNCBcricket) October 4, 2023
However, what the Dutch do not have in ODI caps, they make up in professional appearances. Because of the semi-professional nature Dutch cricket, many players choose not to represent Holland during the four-year cycles, unless it is for a World Cup, as they are able to make more money playing County Cricket or franchise tournaments.
This means that Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe and Paul van Meekeren, none of whom played in the World Cup qualifiers, have come back into the squad to add much needed experience. Together, they have a total of almost 900 professional match appearances.
Spin it to win it
This is undoubtedly the Netherlands’ weakest area. Over the last four-year cycle, they have the spinners with the worst average (Aryan Dutt) and worst economy (Shariz Ahmad). Dutt averages 48 in ODI cricket but at a respectable economy of 5.15, while Ahmad, who missed out against Pakistan, averages 31 but goes at over 6.2 runs per over.
Since qualification, van der Merwe has become available and walked straight into the side. As mentioned above, he brings experience and some batting ability, alongside his primary skill of left-arm finger-spin. Although his ODI stats are not flattering, his List A record speaks for itself. He averages 26 with both ball and bat, a true all-rounder. The Netherlands will be hoping he can help with their spin troubles.
Chances in the World Cup
Overall, the Dutch have almost no chance of winning the World Cup. A success for them would be one victory. They not only are the least experienced side in the competition, but also the least suited for the conditions. India is known for its pitches which heavily favour spinners and this is where the Dutch struggle. Their performance against Pakistan has shown that they can compete on their day and will give them huge confidence that they might cause an upset.
Although Holland might not win a match at this competition, it will provide a great experience for all the players and certainly help improve their future prospects.
