Dutch cricketing sensation Bas De Leede took five wickets and scored a scintillating century, spearheading the Netherlands into the World Cup in India later this year. The Dutch side became the 10th team to join the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023. They picked up a hard-fought victory against Scotland, winning the match by four wickets in their second-last qualification game of the Super Six stage. Bas De Leede followed his father Tim De Leede’s footsteps who also had the honour of playing for the national team. Tim De Leede helped the Netherlands secure their spot in the ICC Men’s World Cup for the first time in 1993.
Tim De Leede was known to be a hard-hitting middle-order batsman. Though, it was his bowling performance against India in World Cup 2003 that particularly stood out in his career. On that day, he took four wickets while giving away 35 runs in a losing effort against the Men in Blue. The highlight of his spell was getting the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar.
The Netherlands were playing the World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe for a shot at international glory. They were extremely promising in the Group Stage, winning three of their four games, with a shocking victory against the Caribbean cricketing giants West Indies. They conceded a defeat against Sri Lanka by 21 runs, in their opening game of the Super Six stage of the qualifiers. They bounced back with a convincing victory against Oman before winning their final game against Scotland.
During the first innings of the qualifier, De Leede curbed the Scottish batters, dismissing five players in 10 overs while only giving away 52 runs. A heroic effort from Scotland’s Brandon McMullen, scoring 106 runs in 110 balls, helped Scotland reach a competitive total of 277 runs having lost nine wickets. Bas De Leede brought his brilliant form during the Netherlands’ batting as well. He scored a 127 runs in a mere 92 balls, hitting seven boundaries and five sixes. His massive contribution to the game saw his side pick up a win by four wickets with 43 balls remaining.
The Netherlands had managed to qualify for three successive World Cups, securing their spots in 2003, 2007 and 2011. The Dutch were not able to make it to the previous two editions of the World Cup in 2015 and 2019. It would be interesting to see if the Netherlands can impress in the upcoming World Cup in India.