It’s not just rugby that thrills the English, Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans. Since October 5, another World Cup, that of cricket, has fascinated supporters, like those of other Commonwealth nations, like India or Pakistan, who have no interest in the oval ball. The competition, organized in India, takes place in two phases : until November 12, all the teams entered compete against each other, before the four best teams reach the semi-finals. The final is scheduled for November 19.
Of the ten qualified countries, only two are not part of the Commonwealth: Afghanistan and the Netherlands. The Dutch have an additional distinction since they are the only ones not to be part of the twelve full members of the ICC, the very venerable International Cricket Council, the governing body of the discipline.
They owe their presence at the World Cup – the 5the in their history – to their second place at the ICC Trophy in July in Zimbabwe. The performance is all the more remarkable as on this occasion, three full members of the ICC failed to qualify: Ireland, the West Indies (West Indies, a sort of Caribbean selection) and the host country.
Make no mistake: playing cricket is not a fad in the Netherlands. Its establishment dates back to the end of the 18th century.e century and early 19the century, with the passage of British soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars. “ It was more popular than football until the end of the 19th century.e century, before it became number onerecalls Roland Lefebvre, former great Dutch player, now high performance manager of his national federation. The first club was created in 1875. Today, there are 45, mainly in large cities in the west of the country such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. »
The proximity of certain former Dutch colonies to former British colonies in the Caribbean also favored the spread of this batting sport in the land of tulips. “Suriname, for example, is right next to Guyana. Saint-Martin is in the heart of the West Indiesrecalls Mr. Lefebvre. We have a player, Daniel Doram, who is from Saint-Martin, even if he is not present at this World Cup. »
Despite its status of 14e nation in the ICC World Rankings, the Netherlands has only 6,000 cricketers and no dedicated stadium. When they are lucky enough to sometimes host large nations, the federation builds temporary enclosures, “by 3,500 places against Pakistan or by 7,500 places against England”. “It is a dream to build a stadium, but it is not necessary at the momentexplains Roland Lefebvre. When you are not a full member [du conseil], you don’t play international tests often enough per season. This would not be financially viable. »
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