Janneke Schopman got a bit startled when she received continuous message notifications late on Tuesday. It wasn’t usual for the chief coach of the Indian women’s hockey team to receive texts that late in the night. Curious, the 46-year-old picked up her phone to check who was messaging. “It was the Dutch expats (WhatsApp) group. They were discussing the win,” Schopman said from Bengaluru.
Schopman was referring to the Netherlands causing one of the big upsets of the ongoing ODI World Cup yet – the others being Afghanistan beating holders England and Pakistan – when her compatriots staged an incredible 38-run victory against powerhouse South Africa on a cold and wet evening in Dharamsala on October 17.
“Cricket is not a big sport in the Netherlands, but I know they can be pretty good and cause some upsets. It is funny because I was talking to (women’s hockey team’s scientific advisor) Taren (Naidoo) who is from South Africa and in my staff that guess what, Holland busted South Africa this time for a big upset,” grinned the 2008 Olympic champion over a video call.
While the Dutch have been playing cricket since the 19th century – the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) was formed in 1890 – the sport never gained as much popularity as football, hockey and korfball, remaining in the fringes of the sporting scenario in the Netherlands. In fact, the Netherlands, before they withdrew at the last moment, were one of the four teams along with Belgium, France and Great Britain scheduled to compete in a knockout tournament in the 1900 Olympics too.
{{/usCountry}}While the Dutch have been playing cricket since the 19th century – the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) was formed in 1890 – the sport never gained as much popularity as football, hockey and korfball, remaining in the fringes of the sporting scenario in the Netherlands. In fact, the Netherlands, before they withdrew at the last moment, were one of the four teams along with Belgium, France and Great Britain scheduled to compete in a knockout tournament in the 1900 Olympics too.
{{/usCountry}}“Netherlands is not a cricket country," Sjoerd Marijne, who coached both the Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams, said from the Netherlands. “I don’t think many people knew what was going on until they saw there was something in the news. We can’t see the matches here. I know there’s a website where you can watch by buying subscription but there aren’t many cricket followers to pay for that.”
Unlike his countrymen, Marijne, who famously guided India women to a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics, understands cricket, getting a hang of the sport during his stint in India. The Dutch coach also witnessed a couple of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) invited the women’s hockey team.
“I remember the India captain (Virat Kohli) was also playing for the Bengaluru franchise. But most people in Netherlands don’t understand the rules. For us, we just know Netherlands is a lower ranked team that beat a big team in the tournament, but I guess more will follow the tournament after this win,” says Marijne.
Though not played in every nook and corner of the Netherlands, cricket has a proper system in place with over 6,000 players involved in club cricket with the top 50-over tournament called Topklasse. Many of the hockey clubs also have their cricket teams because of which, in certain pockets, the sport has managed to thrive rather than just survive.
“I remember when we used to play in Amsterdam, we would always use a club house of one of the famous cricket clubs in Holland called VRA. We would have our meetings and even stay there. A lot of these cricket clubs are located in the middle, in between the hockey clubs," says Schopman. “It was similar in Rotterdam. The cricket club was just around the corner. We would see a little cricket especially in the summer.”
While Siegfried Aikman, on the other hand, confessed that he is not a cricket fan, he is quite up to date though even knowing the margin of victory of the Dutch or whey they play next (Wednesday against Australia in Delhi) but also the fact that the Netherlands made it to the World Cup through the qualifier.
“I am not a big fan of cricket but I follow it from time to time. What I like is when Dutch play a sport, they are always able to compete,” said the coach, who guided Japan to the Asian Games gold in Jakarta 2018. “To reach the semi-finals, Netherlands need to win five matches which is unlikely to happen but it doesn’t matter. The team is there to cause a few upsets I hope.”
Aikman was introduced to cricket when he along with some friends was invited to England when he was 12 for some cricket lessons. “I found the fielding part too boring,” laughs Aikman, who said from Muscat where he is currently the coach of the Oman men’s team. “Nobody joined cricket but some of the best hockey clubs have cricket departments who have their own style of playing ‘total cricket’ just like ‘total football or total hockey’ where everyone can do everything like attack, defend and have all the skills,” said Aikman.
The 64-year-old also watched some cricket when he was coach of Pakistan, going to watch Pakistan Super League (PSL) games. Though he finds the sport too boring, he still manages to follow it. “Matches are boring most of the day. It is like watching grass grow. Only the end is exciting,” said Aikman.
Back in India after a break in the United States, Schopman is now interested in following the Dutch team’s exploits at the World Cup. “I don’t understand the whole intricacies when you can refer (DRS) to the umpire but I do understand the length before wicket and all that sort of things. I even know what a golden duck is,” says Schopman.
Before the World Cup began, Schopman had been invited along with others by the Dutch ambassador in Bengaluru to meet the Dutch cricket team. “We were in China for the Asian Games so I was not able to join. But I will keep a close eye now. There may be a watch party too. Even though we are going for the next tournament (Asian Champions Trophy) and it will be a bit difficult but I am definitely going to try and catch some action," said Schopman, whose nephew also plays cricket in England.