Netherlands dare to dream with feet on the ground

In a remarkable turn of events, the Netherlands are gearing up for its first men's cricket World Cup appearance in 12 years, and all eyes are on the promising allrounder Bas de Leede. The 23-year-old made waves during the World Cup Qualifier against Scotland, earning himself a Player of the Match.

De Leede's outstanding performance included a remarkable 123-run innings and a brilliant bowling display, where he took five wickets for just 52 runs, securing the Dutch team's place in the World Cup.

As the Dutch squad prepares for their tournament opener against Pakistan on October 6 in Hyderabad, de Leede is setting bigger goals.

"Our goal is to make the semi-finals," de Leede told Wisden. "Whether other people think that's realistic or not, they can have their opinion. If we play our best cricket, we have a chance of beating teams and hopefully, we will find ourselves in a position to qualify for the semis," De Leede said as quoted by The Cricketer.

The significance of this World Cup qualification has not been lost on de Leede, especially considering the Netherlands' limited cricketing resources. He said, "It's massive for such a small cricketing country to play in a 10-team World Cup. When you think about it like that, that we're one of just 10 teams to make it, it makes qualifying even more special."

Despite cricket's status in the Netherlands, de Leede is optimistic about the sport's potential growth in the country. With only 6,500 registered players, cricket faces a funding challenge. However, de Leede believes that a strong showing in the World Cup can change the landscape.

"It's a niche sport in the Netherlands. There is no getting away from that fact. We have only 6,500 people registered to play in the country. But when we qualified the media got much more interested in us. We have the potential to grow a lot, but we need money, If we put a couple of decent performances together at the World Cup, interest will get much bigger," he added.