Determined Dutch plot revenge - Netherlands T20 World Cup Preview

Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Shariz Ahmad, Logan van Beek, Tom Cooper, Brandon Glover, Timm van der Gugten, Fred Klaassen, Bas de Leede, Paul van Meekeren, Roelof van der Merwe, Stephan Myburgh, Teja Nidamanuru, Max O’Dowd, Tim Pringle, Vikram Singh.

All the T20 World Cup Squads

Super 10s (2014)

With just one Super 10 spot each from the First Round groups of four in 2014, the Dutch needed something special to advance, and they produced it in emphatic fashion.

On the final day of group action and having watched Zimbabwe trounce UAE earlier, the Netherlands were set 190 to win against Ireland, with the added challenge of needing to chase down the target in the early stages of the 15th over to overtake Zimbabwe on net run rate.

The Dutch in reply would go on to hit 19 sixes and 12 fours in their chase, scampering home in the 14th over to go through in a supreme batting effort.

(most recent first): L L L W W W W L L L

v UAE (16 October), Kardinia Park, Geelong
v Namibia (18 October), Kardinia Park, Geelong
v Sri Lanka (20 October), Kardinia Park, Geelong

v Namibia (18 October)– The Dutch will be desperate to avenge their defeat last year to Gerhard Erasmus’ team, and again the fixture comes at a crucial juncture of their campaigns.

Namibia picked their battles in their pursuit of 165 in Abu Dhabi at the 2021 event, seeing off the likes of Fred Klaassen and Pieter Seelaar before their late charge. The Eagles would go on to complete the chase at the end of the penultimate over, with JJ Smit bludgeoning a brace of boundaries to back the work of Erasmus and David Wiese.

Max O’Dowd - While the opener should be better-supported in the 2022 campaign, there’s no question that the highest run-scorer in last year’s event for the Dutch will likely do the heavy lifting again in Australia.

Easy to pick out with his high backlift and locks down to his shoulders, the right-hander should enjoy Australian conditions for cross-bat shots, and looks comfortable against First Round bowling attacks.

Travelling at a strike rate of more than 120 in T20I cricket, O’Dowd is also the only Dutch men’s batter to make a century in the format.

When the Netherlands qualified for the last T20 World Cup, originally to be held in Australia, it was clear that Ryan Campbell had built a group for Australian conditions. Thrown a wrong’un of the tournament moving to the Middle-East, the side struggled, with murmurs of the playing group lamenting a lack of preparation.

This year, the side do not look so undercooked.

The calendar for the Dutch in the last 12 months has been jammed with white ball action, from testing themselves against Full Member opposition in the ODI Super League, to dominating Qualifier B for the upcoming event.

The Dutch showed all their quality in Zimbabwe, punching their ticket to Australia off the back of a dominant group stage performance, and a calm chase of USA’s 138 in the semi-final.

And while a different format, the 50-over game has primed a young group ready to fulfill their potential. 22-year-old Bas de Leede has flourished against Pakistan and New Zealand to show his potential, with encouraging performances also from Shariz Ahmad and Vikramjit Singh.

As the side welcome back a host of UK-based players who missed Super League cricket, there have been shuffles in the senior ranks. Former skipper Pieter Seelaar was forced into an early retirement after persistent back problems, and while Ben Cooper also called time on his Dutch career, brother Tom Cooper returns after missing last year’s tournament.

Taking the captaincy from Seelaar is wicket-keeper/batter Scott Edwards, who passed his first test at the Qualifier. A player in a rich vein of form with the bat, Edwards has marked experience in Melbourne grade cricket, and should have contacts that provide some local knowledge of Kardinia Park, even with limited action on the Geelong surface.

Most of the signs point to a stronger performance this time around, and qualifying for the Super 12s will be the minimum expectation.