Logan van Beek: ‘Hope they stop cracking jokes about our cricket back in Netherlands’

“The diversity of our squad reflects cricket in the Netherlands,” Edwards told The Indian Express. “The backgrounds of those playing this sport back there is very multicultural, people that come from all over the world.”

The subject of national pride has been raging in top-level international cricket. With players’ commitment to their nations coming into question as some refuse year-long fixed contracts to keep themselves open for franchise leagues around the world. The downfall of the West Indies, who have failed to qualify for the World Cup this year, for instance, has been viewed in some quarters as a reason for them not representing their nation.

But the Netherlands team has flown in the face of that with their results (and just by qualifying ahead of the West Indies). International cricket is only a part-time occupation for the players, who either ply their trade around the world, or work other jobs.

The team eyes their diversity – that they are essentially a melting pot of different nationalities – as a strength. “It’s one of our strengths. A group of people brought up in different parts of the world, different backgrounds, culture, religion, it’s something we really embrace as a unit,” Edwards said. “This is something I have not experienced in other groups.”

“Often we get quite a lot of stick for saying that we’re an international team, since we have guys from all around the world. But the fact is that all of us have our connections to the Dutch, which mean a lot to us. It’s not like we are just here because we thought it was an easy option,” Max O’Dowd, whose father was a first-class cricketer in New Zealand, said. “I think it is pretty cool that we can unite under one group and represent the Netherlands.”

Taking the game seriously

The composition of the Netherlands team shows the necessity to grow the game organically in the country, and fast bowler Logan van Beek believes the goal for them in India is to have an “inspirational tournament” that improves its reputation back home.

“I watched a Dutch sports show this morning and they were talking about cricket and laughing about how it’s pretty similar to a nine-to-five job, how long it takes, and they’re making a few other jokes. And I hope that another of couple wins, they can almost stop joking about cricket in the Netherlands and they start talking seriously,” van Beek told a news conference on Tuesday, adding that a four-minute segment on cricket, even if at their expense, meant the game might be getting noticed there.

Skipper Edwards acknowledges there is little, even if it is passionate, support for cricket in the Netherlands adding that he hopes it goes beyond a niche interest at some point. “It’s a small community, about something like 6000-7000 active playing groups, I think,” he said.

Following their scalping of South Africa, if the Netherlands notch a win over a team like Australia too, it would shake cricket fans around the world, ripples of which, they would hope, are felt back home too.