If the Cricket World Cup Qualifier Tournament in Zimbabwe, which concluded in Harare on Sunday with unbeaten Sri Lanka emerging as champions, proved anything to the world it is that more than 10 teams deserve to be playing in the main event.
The final itself was an anti-climax with Sri Lanka bowling the Netherlands out for just 105 to win by a whopping 128 runs but it was always destined to be the least significant match of the tournament with the two finalists having already achieved their primary goal of reaching the World Cup in India in October and November.
The Netherlands qualified with a superior nut run-rate to Zimbabwe and Scotland but all three deserved to be at the World Cup on the basis of their wonderful performances while the woeful West Indies should always be at World Cups.
The global game will be a poorer place if cricket in the Caribbean fades away.
See you in India ????????#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/70YlyVuzuZ
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 9, 2023
Sri Lanka were always expected to breeze through the Qualifiers and duly did so with some powerful and compelling performances with bat and ball but, ironically, their superiority will not provide the abiding memories because the unexpected will always trump the predictable in the collective sporting memory.
The Netherlands have enjoyed some spectacular moments in their cricketing history but ‘moments’ were never going to be enough to reach the final of a tournament as arduous as this one.
They were consistent throughout and avoided the ‘crashes’ which have been as much a part of their playing history as the peaks.
Matching the West Indies’ 364 and winning the resultant Super Over was an astonishing performance by the Dutch but they still had to beat Scotland, who thrashed the West Indies by seven wickets, to reach the final.
That they did so was due to one of the great individual ODI performances from all rounder Bas de Leede.
De Leede was the only one of eight Dutch players who insisted on being at the tournament despite having an English county contract.
Likely squad members, Fred Klaasen, Paul van Meekeren, Brandon Glover, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Shane Snater and Timm van der Gugten were all denied a ‘release’ from their counties while the Vitality Blast T20 tournament was taking place.
But de Leede, who is contracted to Durham, put his employment in jeopardy by insisting on his availability for the trip to Zim.
It helped, of course, that Durham head coach, Ryan Campbell, was the Dutch national captain until six months ago: “He’s a passionate and patriotic Dutchman so he didn’t really give us a choice,” said Campbell. “We all hope he does well in the tournament and comes back to do even better for us.”
De Leede took 5-52 as Scotland posted a highly competitive 277-9 and then, with the target needing to be chased in just 44 overs in order to overtake Scotland’s NRR, scored a breathtaking 123 from just 92 balls with seven fours and five sixes to reach the target with seven balls to spare.
Those winning feelings ??
— Netherlands Cricket Insider (@KNCBInsider) July 8, 2023
Days on since the famous victory it’s still feel surreal that the Dutch are heading to the #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/Jw9pgfBSAG
“It’s just unbelievable, I hardly have the words to describe what this means for me and, more importantly, for Netherlands cricket. It was always our dream to come here and qualify for the World Cup so, it is a dream come true,” De Leede said.
An ODI performance for the ages ???? https://t.co/CEawN9VUDx
— Netherlands Cricket Insider (@KNCBInsider) July 8, 2023
Zimbabwe made all the early running in the tournament with player-of-the-series and leading run-scorer Sean Williams smashing three centuries.
They beat the West Indies by 35-runs and looked certain to reach the World Cup before stumbling against Scotland by 31-runs. Scotland, too, were hot favourites to reach the World Cup before de Leede’s virtuoso performance.
Fortunately, the next World Cup in South Africa in 2027 will feature 14 teams and will be played to a similar format as the hugely successful Qualifiers in Zimbabwe with two groups of seven teams followed by a Super-Eight, semifinals and the final.