We’d love to have a fixture or two: Netherlands coach Cook makes plea

Before the Qualifier began, not a lot of people gave the Netherlands much of a shot to make it to the 50-over World Cup. Five of their first XI players were unavailable due to their county stint. And a couple more were lost to injuries. 

From there, to be able to make it to the World Cup ahead of teams like Scotland, West Indies and Zimbabwe was no mean feat. But, their head coach Ryan Cook, in the aftermath of the Qualifiers, addressed an important issue ahead of the World Cup: lack of game time for associate nations. 

“We’ll go back home and try to put a couple of fixtures together. I think it’s about 90 days till our next fixture. So the guys will go home, get a bit of rest,” Ryan Cook said at the post match press conference after the Qualifier Final.  

In a plea that has since gone viral, Cook openly requested full member nations to schedule games with his team, who as things stand are scheduled to enter the 50-over World Cup without playing any full member in the lead-up.

“There are a couple of teams that don’t have too many international fixtures in the next couple of months. I’ve been doing my research. This is a callout to anyone who wants to play us. We’d love to have a fixture of two. Obviously, our boys haven’t been to the subcontinent before. So it’ll be good to get some games in the subcontinent as well.” 

Talking about the Qualifier, Cook felt that this was the most competitive tournament he’d been a part of. 

“All the other associate nations have been really good on this tour. They’ve shown the ability to compete throughout the games. Just like us, they’ve beaten big sides like us. So these teams will also become more competitive with time. We don’t focus too much on what we don’t have - resources, fixtures, that kind of stuff. We’ll just try and do the best with what we’ve got.” 

The ODI Super League also helped Netherlands rub shoulders with the best of teams. Unfortunately, it was scrapped midway last year due to reasons unknown. Another valid point raised by the coach was that of revenue earning. 

Participating in the World Cup and playing teams like India and England, he said, would help their players get more attention. This, he claimed, would also be another way for them get better cricketing opportunities and maximize their earning potential. 

“Being involved with the Super League last year was a major learning experience. We won just three games, so it shows the gap between the top 8 and us. There’s a steep gap to be covered. The ODI world cup presents an opportunity to play in India which brings a lot of eyeballs to the screen.

“We will be able to bring a sponsor or two, bring some revenue into the game. Our boys do get paid pretty lowly compared to some of the other guys, and there will be more resources to be able to do that.

“At the moment we only have one full time member in our coaching staff. Hopefully, that will change soon.”