WC-bound Dutch team to practice in City

Officials from the Karnataka State Cricket Association were unable to confirm or deny if the 50-over World Cup-bound Netherlands team is actually going to play a few practice matches in Bengaluru come mid-September, but an official in the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) affirmed that the Dutch team is in fact headed to the City.

While the details of the number of matches, oppositions, dates and venues are still being worked out by the associations in the lead-up to the October-November World Cup, Netherlands’ manager revealed that the team got in touch with the International Cricket Council as soon as they qualified for the marquee event last month, and that’s what led to chain of events.

“We got in touch with the ICC in Durban as soon as we qualified,” Patrick de Leede told DH on Thursday. “We were not sure we were going to qualify because there are so many good teams so we didn’t plan, but as soon as we made it, we knew we had to get some practice games in the sub-continent because we have little or no experience playing in those conditions.”

“The ICC has been helping us out in these matters,” he added.

The Netherlands, who will be making their first appearance in the 50-over World Cup since 2011, are expected to play in Bengaluru before heading to either Hyderabad or Thiruvananthapuram for the official warm-up games.

De Leede did add that Hyderabad would be the team’s preferred destination for the team is set to play its first two games in the city where they take on Pakistan and New Zealand, respectively, at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium.

“We should be flying out mid-September,” said de Leede. “We’re yet get to clearance from the state associations but we will be in India at that time. We didn’t specifically ask for a venue, but we’re told that Bengaluru is where we are practicing. Bengaluru is as good a venue as they come in the world so we don’t mind it at all.”

Only last month Ryan Cook, the Netherlands coach, issued a plea asking to get some practice games in the sub-continent. “This is a call-out to anyone who wants to play us. We'd love to have a fixture or two. Our guys have not been to the sub-continent many times before so it would be good to have some fixtures somewhere in the sub-continent as well,” he had said.