Tour Diary Day 7: 1/2 The Netherlands circa 6.000 cricketers in the whole country. We have 7 grass wickets. The players may get as little as a โฌ100 match fee & there are no contracts. For the 2nd time in less than 12 months, we've just beaten South Africa in a World Cup.
#CWC23
I see that the
@ICC
still haven't bothered to find a copy of our national anthem, Wilhelmus. They just play the music, no lyrics. I think it's a disgrace. We know that the ICC don't want
@KNCBcricket
at the
#CWC23
but treating us with contempt is a disgrace. ๐ณ๐ฑ๐๐ณ๐ฑ๐๐ณ๐ฑ
Don't play enough Test cricket, you won't be very good at it.
Don't play enough T20 cricket, you won't be very good at it.
Don't play enough 50 over cricket, you won't be very good at it.
Play lots of 16.4 over cricket that no one else plays in the world, who cares?
#CWC23
Last game of
#CWC23
for my beloved Nederland. Potentially the last ODI we will play against a full member nation for 4 years. If the ICC rankings fail us then maybe 8 years or possibly never again if the format dies. Tune into
@guerillacricket
to listen to me rant from over 11
Tour Diary Day 18 2/2: 11 years ago, I was interviewed on TV when England beat India at Eden Gardens. Today, I've done a few interviews, one for
@StarSportsIndia
& had 100s of requests for selfies. I just hope I'm smiling in all of them like I am now. So very very happy
#CWC23
Tour Diary Day 18: 1/2 "You [The Netherlands] don't deserve to be at this world cup" said an Indian supporter to us early on. He disappeared in the 2nd innings. This was a magnificent victory after getting clobbered by The Aussies. We refuse to just sit in 10th place.
#CWC23
I miss being in India. I miss picking up the tickets & wishing the boys well. I miss the Suzuki Dzire Uber drivers, I miss the excitement of going to the game, I miss being in orange, I miss the selfies (well almost) & most of all, I miss the sunshine and being warm
#CWC23
๐ณ๐ฑ๐๐งก
Tour Diary Day 7 2/2: I don't think people realise how much work the
@KNCBcricket
coaching staff & players put in. Ryan Cook has been extraordinary since he took over & I couldn't be prouder of all of them. They all deserve this & thanks for saving the win until I showed up! ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฑ
Tour Diary Day 9: Trekking day in The Himalayas. Over 21km, 32.000 steps & my knees are still intact which is a bonus.
Almost every Indian looked at me & said Congratulations Netherlands! Half way down the mountain, I was greeted at the chai stall with the latest
#CWC23
score ๐ณ๐ฑ
Dutch cricketers not released from their English counties to play in The
@cricketworldcup
qualifiers next month.
Fred Klaasen
Shane Snater
Roelof van der Merwe
Paul van Meekeren
Timm van der Gugten
Colin Ackerman
Brandon Glover
It's just not fair.
I don't think people realise what a huge victory this is for Netherlands cricket. Remember
@KNCBcricket
don't pay a liveable salary to any player, we have only 7 grass wickets in the country & have no access to our England based players outside World Cups. Report this
@NOSsport
What Logan says โฌ๏ธ He's spot on. Back in The Netherlands, people think cricket is a joke, I see it every day when I talk about it to my colleagues. It will be almost impossible to alter their way of thinking. The sad thing is that if we beat Australia, nothing will change.
#CWC23
Tour Diary Day 19: Goodbye to the city which has brought me joy. Thank you for having me. I'm still smiling & now I have learned that
@KNCBcricket
could qualify for The Champions Trophy in 2025 if we finish 8th or above. Some will say we don't deserve to be there either!
#CWC23
I was insulted last week for observing the pollution in Delhi. Surely the more people who highlight the problem, the better? I feel for the inhabitants of Delhi who actually care about the environment, you must really suffer.
๐ฃ๏ธ "We actually had a training session today, but due to worsening conditions, we didn't take the chance" - Khaled Mahmud
Bangladesh canceled their training today to safeguard their players from air pollution in Delhi
๐ |
#CWC23
|
#SLvBAN
Tour Diary Day 20: I'm back in Amsterdam having a glass of wine waiting for Sicilian pasta reflecting on a wonderful tour. I want to thank the
@KNCBcricket
the players & the fabulous supporters both in orange & in blue & my nice followers who support Dutch cricket. Proost!
Dear
#BBCCricket
, would it kill you to mention the most incredible ODI game in history? Yes, The Ashes and County Cricket are the headlines but come on, just a couple of lines about
@KNCBcricket
beating
@windiescricket
would be good, I'll even write them for you!
Tour Diary Day 15: My sense of humour & patience are waning. Not helped by being battered by The Aussies naturally, that's never fun. However, a huge thank you to those who enabled me to bring my noise cancelling headphones into the ground. I can't watch a game without them
#ASD
A lot of people, including me are struggling to breathe here in the Arun Jaitley Ground. The air is very badly polluted plus add the fumes from the cooking to that, it's quite uncomfortable. Cough cough cough
#CWC23
HUGE game for
@KNCBcricket
today against my former country. 100% behind the boys in orange. I'm not in Pune but will be on
@guerillacricket
later talking nonsense
Tour Diary Day 8: Getting used to the constant requests for selfies. Everyone is very polite & wants to talk cricket. On a day I can't stop smiling, I don't mind one little bit. Falling in love with
#Dharamshala
what a beautiful place. Can we come back please
@KNCBcricket
?
#CWC23
Tour Diary Day 11: Useable toilets at the Lucknow ground! One up on Dharamshala but that's it
The NL boys didn't quite get it together today but many congrats to SA &
@loganvanbeek
for their maiden ODI 50s.
We're 7th in the
#CWC23
One the ICC didn't want us at. Not too bad.
What shall I do in Delhi airport T3 for 4 hours? I'm fed & watered, done my 10.000 steps, listened to every podcast about ๐ณ๐ฑ beating ๐ฟ๐ฆ been to
@marksandspencer
but they don't have my knickers. All the comfy seats are taken so I can't even have a snooze. I miss you Dharamshala
If you're going to trial out a stop clock in cricket, do it in Test cricket. That's the only format where overs are actually lost. Doing it in ODIs when the 50 overs get bowled regardless, seems a bit pointless.
Tour Diary Day 14 2/2: I escaped the disastrous Airbnb & chilled all afternoon somewhere a bit nicer. Braved India Gate but the incessant selfie requests got too much. A lovely meal out with The Delhi Dutchies. Looking forward to getting Warner out for a duck tomorrow
#CWC23
๐ณ๐ฑ
Tour Diary Day 12 2/2: Caught up with
@KNCBcricket
skipper Scott Edwards + family this morning. Who has skinnier legs? Good to see him..Went to the Bara Imambara labyrinth with
@malhar_hathi
from
@DutchNewsNL
& then finally chilled for an hour or 2. India is exhausting!
#CWC23
@Roy_CW1
@ICC
@KNCBcricket
The ICC never thought we would beat West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland. We did, so we deserve to be there, but with a sung national anthem.
Tour Diary Day 13 2/2: I had a fabulous evening as a guest at The Dutch Embassy in Delhi. A great time to catch up with everyone in a wonderful setting. I even had a glass of wine, first alcohol in India! I was a bit disappointed there was no Ferrero Rocher though.
#CWC23
@UditKhar
Let me be clear that we have absolutely brilliant support from the Indian public but this was just one rogue bad apple. I'm sure he's feeling a bit silly now. (He was definitely Indian)
I would have given T.Curran more than a 4 match ban. You do not disrespect the laws and the umpire like that. He's very lucky to get off so lightly and the fact he wants to appeal says a lot about the type of person he must be.
Tour Diary Day 10: Dharamshala - Lucknow took more time than Amsterdam - Delhi
Finally got to meet up with the ๐ณ๐ฑ team. Big hugs all round. They're ready to go again tomorrow and I shall be shouting my blonde, orange head off from the Upper West.
#CWC23
Caught between a rock & a hard place.
#CWC23
1 India - their training kit is orange
2 Aus - they're underdogs
3 India - Warner doesn't play for them.
4 Aus - Maxwell is golden
5 India - Always good to see Aus lose
6 Aus - This ICC event is a BCCI event, no world about it.
Tour Diary Day 5: It has been an honour to be a guest of a beautiful Kashmiri family in the stunning city of Srinagar. I feel humbled by everyone's kindness, even those pestering me for selfies! A walk up Shankaracharya Hill today. Dharamshala next for
#CWC23
action. ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฑ
Tour Diary Day 17 2/2: I'm not feeling brilliant so I've been very unlike me & stayed put in my hotel. Carnival in Kolkata too which I'm sure would be great fun but I cannot cope with the noise & claustrophobia right now. I need to be fit & well for tomorrow's game.
#CWC23
๐ณ๐ฑ๐
Tour Diary Day 1: Travelling to Srinagar for a few days before meeting up with the
@KNCBcricket
boys. I've always wanted to go to Kashmir. I'll be shown around by complete strangers, a true adventure.
Hand baggage only for this trip. Most of my clothes seem to be orange.
#CWC23
If
@KNCBcricket
beat
@OfficialSLC
in the final of this
#CWC23Qualifiers
then we get a game in Dharamsala which is one of the few major cricket grounds in the world I still really really really want to go to so deal Cloggies, you win and I'l lcome and support you?
Is August the new pre season training time for all those in the
@CountyChamp
? 5 and a half weeks until their next games. This just doesn't make any sense no matter what way you look at it.
Don't tell anyone but I have one of the match balls.... Massive thanks to
@ESPNcricinfo
for letting me loose on their software. I'm supposed to be impartial but bloody happy that
@KNCBcricket
took the 10 points today v
@cricketireland
in the World Cup League. Happy days!
The thought of a County Championship season without this man saddens me beyond words. I'm so glad that he touched the hearts of so many at
@YorkshireCCC
& well beyond. We are better to have known him. RIP Cally, I'll join you for a pint when my innings is over.
I'm not sure what is happening to The Netherlands. They've done so so so so much work on running between the wickets. Maybe whatever illness is going around is affecting their brains. It's sad to see but it's not over until the tuk tuk breaks down.
#NLvAfg
#CWC23
Tour Diary Day 12 1/2: I've had an awful lot of attention since I have arrived in India. Most of it polite. 100s of selfies & even more "Where you from?"s. I guess it's part of being a white orange lady. Today I got "You look fit" & "Are you 60?" A bit direct, even for a Dutchie!
It's a bit ridiculous that there is a T20I series going on between 2 full member countries and no one is televising or streaming it. What happened giving Sikandar Raza a 2 match ban, who knows? Last game of 3 to start soon, it's 1 - 1
#ZimvIre
Only those at HSC can watch.
Hugely annoying that
@allianceair
decided to cut short my stay in Dharamshala by bringing my flight forward by 3,5 hours. This means a 6 hour connection wait in Delhi on the way to Lucknow. What a complete waste of day. The joys of following
@KNCBcricket
in the
#CWC23
๐ณ๐ฑ๐
I haven't looked at the numbers but it would be interesting to see how many 50 over games the England players have played since the ECB decided that 50 over cricket was unimportant and should be played by 2nd string county sides to play on village grounds.
#CWC23
The reality of watching cricket on the telly in India. Adverts every single over and on screen during the over too.
Meanwhile, I think the streets of Srinagar are deserted.
#INDvsPAK
#CWC2023
Tour Diary Day 3: 2/2 The saddest thing about India is the litter. Even up the mountains, there are so may plastic bottles. I tried not to let that spoil a jaunt up the mountain on a horse called Tesla. No electric points for him to recharged.
#CWC23
At this rate
@KNCBcricket
will be 7th in the table in the
#CWC23
despite a disappointing loss v Sri Lanka. England seem to be imploding against the team that The Netherlands comprehensively beat on Tuesday. Funny old game.
Tour Diary Day 3:1/2 Kasmiri kehwa tea sprinkled with saffron is the best in the world, cost 30 rupees! After the saffron & rice fields are the cricket bat factories (17 WC cricketers use Kashmiri willow) & walnut trees. All on the way up to Pahalgam in the Himalayas.
#CWC23
๐ณ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ณ
I'm not entirely sure about the starting Dutch XI. I wouldn't have dropped Vik but no matter, let's get behind the boys in orange in Lucknow
#NLvAfg
#CWC23
Remember the name - Bas de Leede! Maiden ODI 100 and spanked the last few deliveries to take this game away from
@CricketScotland
I'm so very very very proud of all these boys.
@KNCBcricket
I love you!
#SCOvNED
Many congratulations Pat Cummins and your yellow men. Against the odds and against the script. That took balls. (Can't believe I'm writing this but it is sincere!)
#CWC23
On behalf of
@KNCBcricket
ladies, thanks to
@danielweston83
& his team at
@EuropeanCricket
for putting on the inaugural European national T10 tournament. The Netherlands may have ended up runners up to England but every single participant was a winner, especially Robine Rijke MVP
Tour Diary Day 13 1/2: A big shout out to The Renaissance Hotel in Lucknow. I always travel on my own staying at almost all levels of accommodation. I have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous of an Airbnb where a bed made of stone is normal. Ah well, part 2 is better
#CWC23
Spotted on the floor of the corridor in my hotel this morning. I didn't get one. (substitute Bangladesh for Netherlands) but no complaints whatsoever. The staff at
@OberoiHotels
have been over and above wonderful. Thank you all ๐
Read this from Bertus. It is succinct explanation of where we find Dutch men's cricket. I concur regarding new supporters so thanks for that Twittersville of X or whatever this is called.
Fair to say this Netherlands team has won themselves a lot of new fans both at home and abroad over the course of this World Cup, but it's hard to capitalise on such hard-earned popularity if none of your new admirers know when your next match is going to be.
#CWC2023
This is my annual tweet about the tree at my home club
@VRA_Cricket_AMS
being inside the boundary rope. As far as I know, there is now only one other club in the world where first class cricket is played which has this unique feature. Can you name it?
Tour Diary Day 2: 2/2 Loving Kashmir so far. Friendly, cricket loving people who support
@TheRealPCB
& not India at
#CWC23
Stunning gardens, lake, mountains & sunset. My very kind hosts have filled my belly with tasty food & after only 19,5 hours in the country, I need sleep!
The
@cricketworldcup
warm ups start tomorrow. Between mid July and today, this is how many 50 over games each country has played (or had rained off):
India 12
Bang 9
Pak 8
Aus 8
NZ 7
Eng 7
Afg 6
SL 6
SA 5
NL 0
@KNCBcricket
wanted more games but the ICC don't really care.
I drove from Amsterdam to Malaga to see
@KNCBcricket
A team win the
@EuropeanCricket
T10 final. Massively proud of the Dutch team. A few carrying injuries but they hobbled their way to victory against
@ECB_cricket
Party hard boys!
Back where I was born to be. Watching cricket in the sunshine having a chat with the boys. Wickets falling all around us, England bowlers having fun, Tis the season for proper cricket, merry Wednesday everyone.
@TheBarmyArmy
Tour Diary Day 16: I'm not very good at this social media thing. I take everything personally/literally which is a trait of ASD. When I'm abused online because I'm a white European or coz I have ASD, I'm not very good at coping with it. Cue lots of snowflake comments. Sad.
#CWC23
Tour Diary Day 2: 1/2 I've completed my "Welcome To India" checklist: Cows in t'road, cement advert, driving on the wrong side of the road, 85 Where you froms, a non working SIM card, argument with taxi driver & umpteen attemps to get money from an ATM but I couldn't be happier!
Tour Diary Day 4: The weather was a bit rubbish today but I still went for a walk around Nishat Gardens. Again frustrated by the litter especially as there were staff picking up leaves but not the plastic! Back to watch
#INDvPAK
which was a bit of a damp squib.
#CWC23
๐ณ๐ฑ
Tour Diary Day 6: After 4 days in Kashmir when I saw just 1 other white person, onto Delhi where there are a few more!
Flight cancelled to Dharamshala so after 2 hours, rebooked for 06:40 tomorrow & I have a bed to sleep in, which is a bonus. No foto's today so here is a cat.
If you're wondering why I haven't been tweeting about
@KNCBcricket
extraordinary 1 run victory v
@cricketireland
it's because I had the huge privilege of scoring the game live for
@ESPNcricinfo
I'm truly thankful to you lovely guys for giving me the gig. I'll be better on Friday!
I'm sure the timed out has been all over here. They're is no provision for equipment failure or anything else which may delay the batsman but not the match. Fairly clear cut to me but cue the responses about the spirit of cricket. Yawn. #
#TimedOut
#BangvSL
#CWC23
Tour Diary Day 17 1/2: I have gone 5* for my last 3 nights in India booking
@OberoiHotels
in Kolkata. It's costing me more than the rest of my trip's accommodation put together! Sadly no special treatment (not that I deserve it) like The Renaissance in Lucknow.
#Horns
#Noise