In 2021, the Netherlands were playing Ireland in a first-round game at the T20 World Cup. The overall atmosphere seemed dull, with not a single spectator visible in the stands. The game in progress also seemed to lack any kind of excitement or thrill. The Netherlands meandered along to 106, and soon crashed to a seven-wicket defeat. They would lose all three games in that tournament. For a team that had at least seven players with experience of having partaken in English domestic cricket that season, alongside a few T20 leagues in the past, the results were hard to fathom.
Perhaps that little bit of cohesion was missing between the players with County commitments and others representing the Netherlands on a regular basis. Whatever might be the reason, it was a lacklustre show. In the world of sports, two years is a long time. In 2023, Ryan Cook and Scott Edwards, the coach-captain duo, have changed the outlook of the Netherlands set-up, illustrated by their gritty performances in the 2022 T20 World Cup, World Cup qualifiers and their memorable win over South Africa in the ongoing 50-over World Cup.
Peel back the outside layers and you get to see how the think-tank has tried to imbibe the principles of team spirit in the squad. Here’s an anecdote from the head coach that serves as an example. “We took the guys out to the canal in Amsterdam, and taught them how to row,” Cook had told RevSportz after qualifying for the World Cup.
“Our (present) CEO was previously a CEO of rowing, so we had some good contacts to touch base and help us. The whole idea was you need to put in your best effort, and obviously teamwork is needed to be able to take the boat forward.”
The bonding between the players was noticeable when Edwards and Anil Teja put on a 143-run fifth-wicket stand against West Indies in the World Cup Qualifiers, or in the manner in which they pulled things back against Scotland. During that tournament, that kind of team spirit could be seen even when substitutes ran on to the field during the drinks break to share a piece of paper consisting strategies and information. There was no going through the motions, and the enthusiasm of the substitutes was clearly evident.
Just a few months after their qualification, the Netherlands set-up organised an event to unveil their official jersey for the World Cup in Bengaluru. As the cameras zoomed in, the togetherness among the players made for unmistakable viewing. Lest we forget, this is a squad comprising players of different origins and backgrounds.
The head coach is also a fan of Total Cricket, where every player contributes to different departments of the game. Until the game against South Africa, the Netherlands did implement Cook’s philosophy in fits and starts. Even in their opening warm-up match against a Karnataka XI, the last-wicket pair of Ryan Klein and Paul van Meekeren added 94 to help the Dutch side save some face after a disastrous start.
Against Pakistan, as many as five bowlers chipped in with wickets. But in the South Africa-Netherlands game, this particular template was executed to near-perfection.
Netherlands, who were inserted into bat, had to navigate through repeated setbacks that saw them deep in trouble at 112 for 6. Edwards and Roelof van der Merwe, however, didn’t just prop up the innings but also piloted the side to a slightly above-par score on a track that was offering enough for the bowlers. In fact, in the last 10 overs, the Netherlands added a whopping 105 runs.
With the ball in hand, van der Merwe was at it again, picking up crucial scalps, while Aryan Dutt kept the runs in check. The seamers – Logan van Beek, van Meekeren and Bas de Leede – also bowled with purpose as the Netherlands defeated fancied South Africa for the second time in the last 12 months, albeit in a different format. Even in the field, barring one fluffed chance, they made their opponents work hard for every run. The essence of Netherlands’ performance was Total Cricket.
There is something else that has helped Netherlands to flourish in this format. The introduction of the World Cup Super League in 2019. They were one of the teams included in the 13-team Super League. Although some of the matches got cancelled because of the Covid-19 situation, they still got valuable experience against the established sides.
For instance, in August last year, Pakistan toured the Netherlands to play the home side in a three-game bilateral ODI series as a part of World Cup Super League. Pakistan won all those matches, but they didn’t have it easy as a couple of those victories came by small margins of 16 and 9 runs respectively. Even when the Netherlands toured New Zealand, they had the hosts sweating on the edge of a precipice at 89 for 6 in one of the games.
On occasions, the Netherlands were also at the receiving end of crushing defeats – England thumping the Dutch side by a humongous 232-run margin in June 2022 served as a case in point. But even in a loss, a team could take away a lot of learnings.
“The Super League was good for us, in terms of being able to play the best teams,” Cook told RevSportz. “We put ourselves in good positions. We didn’t have the experience to make those positions count. Having had those games, both home and away, allowed the guys to play at different positions and get a lot of experience.”
Unfortunately, the World Cup Super League has been scrapped for the next cycle. In that backdrop, it is difficult to envisage the future of some of the associate nations. It is a world of unequals, where the have-nots struggle to find every available opportunity and resource. But it is fair to say that the Men in Oranje have carved out the right path. Like some other associate teams, however, they now need a few connecting roads to help them locate the Highway of Success.