The Dutch have now won two World Cup matches in three tournaments and the success of players with county experience shows what they can achieve
The Verdict by Andrew Miller in St Kitts22-Mar-2007
‘Bas Zuiderent batted well today as well, and he is used to the county level,’ said stand-in captain Jeroem Smits © Getty Images
Six days and a lifetime ago, Holland’s captain, Luuk van Troost, facedthe media ahead of their opening World Cup fixture against SouthAfrica, and declared that his intention was to go for broke and pulloff a victory. “If you don’t give yourself a chance, there’s no usecoming to this tournament,” he said. “You have to back yourself.”In the end, van Troost felt he couldn’t back himself any longer, andafter appearing in eight consecutive World Cup matches, dating back to2003, he stepped aside at the age of 37 to allow his younger guns achance to show their mettle. They obliged with a performance thatstunned their more fancied Scottish opponents and secured the Europeanbragging-rights in this most imbalanced of groups.In the process, Holland proved the wisdom of a strategy that had, inthe games against Australia and South Africa, seemed as rash as a dashacross Culloden Moor. “Win the toss and bowl” was what both van Troostand Scotland’s captain, Craig Wright, had done in their openingfixtures, and on both occasions they found themselves drowning in adeluge of runs.Today, however, Holland were vindicated for their faith in theirseamers and their suspicion of the conditions that, once again, weredamp and steamy at the start of play after heavy overnight rain. BillyStelling, restored to the side after injury, didn’t exactly make theball sing but he nevertheless found the sort of discipline that thebig-gun openers had never permitted him to display – and for hissecond match running, he struck with the second ball of the match.Scotland, meanwhile, were left to rue an ill-disciplined performanceand a defeat every bit as comprehensive as the one that South Africahad subjected them to on Tuesday. The Netherlands cantered home by awhopping eight wickets with 157 balls to spare – which was only threeballs more than Graeme Smith’s men had needed, and one wicket fewer.The Dutch have now won two World Cup matches in three tournaments,compared to Scotland’s record of none in two. No Associate team withthe exception of the Kenyans can boast a prouder record, and if theexperience of Ed Joyce and Gavin Hamilton are anything to go by, noother European nation offers such promise for the future – because thecream of the Irish and Scottish crop will invariably be nabbed byEngland.That fact, however, is at the crux of the decision to omit Hollandfrom the former C&G Trophy (now Friends Provident), and at the close,their stand-in captain, Jeroem Smits, took his one last opportunity onthe world stage to appeal for a rethink.”We don’t have any support from the ECB, so it will be difficult forus [to progress],” said Smits. “We have to do it all ourselves. Ithink today is a good day for Dutch cricket, because we showed weshould be playing at least at C&G level. But I don’t want to get intothe politics behind that decision. I just don’t think it’s a goodthing that they invite Ireland and Scotland and they leave Holland forwhat it is. But we will keep on working hard, and try to beat thoseteams.”They didn’t just beat Scotland today, they flogged them, with Stellingsupreme in the morning conditions, and Essex’s Ryan ten Doeschate -demonstrating the benefit of exposure to regular one-day countycricket – unstoppable as the run-chase turned into a canter. “Ryan’swas a very professional performance,” said Smits, pointedly. “He wasoutstanding and he just makes the difference for us. Bassie[Zuiderent] batted well today as well, and he is used to the countylevel [with Sussex]. I think you can just see the difference.”The Dutch have a toehold in the county scene, with ten Doeschate nowjoined by the 17-year-old Alexei Kervesee, who has recently signed forWorcestershire. But they missed out on qualification for September’sTwenty20 World Championship, ironically because of their last-balldefeat against Scotland in Kenya. It is a long old wait until theirnext chance on the world stage.For Scotland, on the other hand, there was merely a familiar bout ofnavel-gazing, as they exited at the first hurdle with a “Played 3,Lost 3” record more usually associated with one of their World Cupfootball campaigns. “I have to confess I’m slightly embarrassed,” saidtheir captain, Craig Wright. “We set out to prove we are a goodcricket team – which we are – but we just haven’t done it.”