Pooran

Crucial points on the table as West Indies meet the Netherlands

Pooran

The series could prove to have a huge bearing on the competition, with the West Indies outside automatic qualification spots for the 2023 Cricket World Cup at present.

The tourists are ten points adrift from New Zealand who hold the eighth and final automatic spot, and time is running out for the side, having played 15 of their 24 matches in the competition already.

A clean sweep of the series could put them as high as third, albeit with a host of teams having games in hand over them.

It's the first series for new West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran, who takes over Kieron Pollard, who announced his international retirement earlier in the year.

"It's going to be interesting to see how he (Pooran) takes West Indies Cricket forward," Dinesh Karthik told Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review.

"He looks like somebody who is a very emotional person, somebody who gets very pumped up, and at times in captaincy it's very helpful, at times not."

Pooran leads a shuffled squad, with all-rounder Jason Holder rested for the series, and Shimron Hetmyer ruling himself out for selection. Keacy Carty, a new face in the West Indies squad, interestingly would have qualified for the Netherlands, as he hails from Sint Maarten - a Dutch territory which makes up part of the Leeward Islands.

The West Indies are winless across their last five One Day Internationals, including matches two and three of their series defeat to Ireland at home.

The Dutch under captain Pieter Seelaar will fancy an upset, though the side is raw, with the retirement of Stephan Myburgh and the absence of county-contracted players hurting their chances.

Quick Fred Klaassen is the only English-based player in the squad, with the likes of Colin Ackermann, Paul van Meekeren, Roelof van der Merwe part of a handful of players unavailable for selection.

Teja Nidamanuru earns his first call-up for the side having impressed in a recent tour of England and playing no small part in Punjab Rotterdam's strong start to the Dutch Topklasse season. Bas de Leede and Vikram Singh earn another chance to impress, while fast-bowler Vivian Kingma returns to the side.

Caretaker head coach Ryan Cook leads the Netherlands, with Ryan Campbell to return later in the summer after a series of cardiac arrests in April.

After the West Indies series, the Netherlands host England in more Super League cricket, as well as New Zealand and Pakistan for two T20Is each.

Pakistan stay in the country for three Super League fixtures of their own in Rotterdam.

Netherlands Squad: Pieter Seelaar (C), Scott Edwards (wk), Shariz Ahmad, Logan van Beek, Philippe Boissevain, Aryan Dutt, Clayton Floyd, Fred Klaassen, Vivian Kingma, Ryan Klein, Bas de Leede, Musa Nadeem Ahmed, Teja Nidamanuru, Max O'Dowd, Vikram Singh, Antonius Staal

West Indies Squad: Nicholas Pooran (C), Shai Hope, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Keacy Carty, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Shermon Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Anderson Phillip, Rovman Powell, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh Jr.

May 31: 1st ODI at VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen
June 2: 2nd ODI at VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen
June 4: 3rd ODI at VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen

NetherlandsWest Indies