Netherlands cricket crying for government support

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CHANDIGARH - Even after a stunning win over hosts England in the Twenty20 World Cup earlier this year, Netherlands cricket is struggling to get government support to popularise the game in the football crazy European country.

Peter Borren, captain of the 14-member national team that is here for a practice tour, feels there is immense cricketing talent in the Netherlands, but the sport is still struggling to find a place for itself for want of government support.

“We hardly get any aid or support from the government as everyone there is concerned only about hockey and football. It is tough to compete with the popularity of these sports but still we are hopeful. The only support that we get is from the ICC (International Cricket Council),” Borren told IANS.

Government apathy has however not stopped the cricketers from dreaming big and now they are gearing up for the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent. The 2011 event will be their fourth World Cup appearance since making their debut in 1996.

“We have already qualified for the 2011 World Cup and now we are focusing on qualifying for the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies next year,” said Borren.

“Development of cricket is very slow in the Netherlands, but still our present team is consistently performing well. In the recent past, we have beaten many leading teams like England in their home (at Lords). We are very optimistic of roping young talent in cricket,” said Borren, who sees a role model in India’s Sachin Tendulkar.

Bowling coach Asim Khan said despite the lack of support from the government, the Netherlands board has developed a good league culture and that is helping churn out good players.

“We have around 7,000 professional cricketers in the Netherlands. The figure is very low when compared to hockey and football, but the signs are positive. Batting is our main forte, but we are also practising hard to improve our bowling and fielding standards,” said Khan.

Khan played first class cricket in Pakistan for the railways and migrated to the Netherlands around 22 years ago. He also represented the national team in their maiden World Cup in 1996.

“The India tour will help our players get used to subcontinental conditions that would benefit us in the 2011 World Cup,” he said.

Peter Drinnen, chief coach, said the team is very hardworking and is capable of beating stronger sides.

“We only lack in exposure and gradually our players are getting that. We are sure to give a tough fight in international cricket in the coming months,” he said.

(Alkesh Sharma can be contacted at alkesh.s@ians.in)