With cricket little more than a punchline within Netherlands pop culture, this team is determined to 'change the narrative'
'Take us seriously': Dutch out to prove they're no laughing matter
In one sense, the vastly-improved Netherlands cricket team is delighted their exploits are making headlines back in a country whose leading athletes are footballers, race car drivers and speed skaters.
Logan van Beek, the spirited New Zealand-born fast bowler, observed how his side's upset triumph over World Cup standouts South Africa saw them make the rundown of one of the most popular Dutch television programs this week.
A roast on Netherlands public broadcast satire show 'De Avondshow met Arjen Lubach' saw host Lubach and another comedian crack gags (in Dutch) about the quirks of cricket for six-and-a-half minutes, more than twice as long as a preceding segment on Dutch F1 star Max Verstappen.
"I hope that (after) another couple of wins, they can almost stop joking about cricket in the Netherlands and they start talking seriously about how this is actually one of the best sports teams in the country," said van Beek.
"One (goal is) to inspire the next generation, but also to change the narrative within the Netherlands."
It seems certain this loveable Netherlands team will be receiving a whole lot more airtime if they can produce another giant-killing effort in their clash with the five-time champions Australia in Delhi.
"Why not?" was van Beek's response to the suggestion of that happening as the two sides face off for just the third time ever in any format.
And therein lies what has been the central challenge for the Netherlands in their desire to take the step from plucky underdogs to legitimate contenders.
It has literally been a generation since their last opportunity to play Australia. When they last met, in a 2007 World Cup clash in St Kitts, the father of the team's current star allrounder Bas de Leede, Tim de Leede, was still playing.
Scott Edwards, the Australian captain of this current Dutch outfit who won a Ryder Medal as the standout player in Victorian Premier Cricket in 2021, has more on the line than most.
Van Beek hopes it is a stepping stone for the wicketkeeper's endeavours to further his career in the country he has spent most of his life.
"Scotty's excited for this game. He's grown up wanting to play for Australia – he still can play for Australia," said van Beek. "I firmly believe he would be an asset to any Big Bash side going into this summer, (and) the Victorian side.
"He's probably not the traditional style of Big Bash cricketer but he gets you with a million cuts – or sweeps, I should say. He finds a way to get the job done and when you bat with him, he lifts your game as well.
"I could just tell the last few days he's got that extra bit of motivation."
Bas de Leede is now one of the world's best emerging allrounders. In July, he scored a century and took a five-wicket haul in the same match to book the 14th-ranked Netherlands' spot at this tournament over two-time champions West Indies, and other full members Ireland and Zimbabwe.
Ricky Ponting had months earlier revealed he was on the Hobart Hurricanes' radar as an overseas signing.
It would appear de Leede and Edwards' best chance of facing the Australians more regularly will likely come in T20 cricket either internationally – the Netherlands have already qualified for the 20-team T20 World Cup next year – or on the global domestic circuit.
"I hope that there's a number of players from this tournament that will be able to play three or four leagues a year (and) have a Dutch contract. That's probably where we're heading," said van Beek.
But their hopes of meeting Australia again in 50-over cricket appear slim.
One of the major reasons for the Netherlands' gains over recent years was their involvement in the ODI Super League, which has since been scrapped by the International Cricket Council.
The structure was designed to ensure the top 13 men's 50-over teams (the Dutch were the 13th qualifier) played eight three-game bilateral ODI series over a four-year period.
The first cycle was badly affected by the pandemic and the increasing prioritisation of domestic T20 tournaments, yet Netherlands played their full quota of 24 games.
While they won just three of those matches, series against the likes of England, Pakistan, South Africa and the Windies have accelerated their improvement, underlined by their famous win in Dharamsala over the Proteas, one of the form teams in the tournament.
"Fingers crossed the way we're playing, we're showing that we deserve to be having more series at home in the Netherlands and teams are wanting to come over to the Netherlands to play as well," said van Beek.
"Hopefully Australia will be one of those teams that, on the way to England, can play a series against the Netherlands before they play England. Something along those lines will be pretty cool in the future."
2023 men's ODI World Cup standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
IND
|
9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.57 | 0 | 18 |
|
2
SA
|
9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.261 | 0 | 14 |
|
3
AUS
|
9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.841 | 0 | 14 |
|
4
NZ
|
9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.743 | 0 | 10 |
|
5
PAK
|
9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | -0.199 | 0 | 8 |
|
6
AFG
|
9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | -0.336 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
ENG
|
9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.572 | 0 | 6 |
|
8
BAN
|
9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -1.087 | 0 | 4 |
|
9
SL
|
9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -1.419 | 0 | 4 |
|
10
NED
|
9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -1.825 | 0 | 4 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points