CWCQ 2018 Report Card: The Netherlands
Overall grade: C
Results summary
Group stage
Lost to Ireland by 93 runs (DLS method)
Lost to UAE by 6 wickets
Beat Papua New Guinea by 57 runs
Lost to Windies by 54 runs (DLS method)
Highlights: Netherlands beat Nepal for 7th place at CWCQ
Play-off
Beat Hong Kong by 44 runs
7th/8th place play-off
Beat Nepal by 45 runs
Positives to take homeA poor run in the group stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 meant that the Netherlands, the ICC World Cricket League champions, failed to make it to the Super Sixes of the tournament. After that, in the play-offs, they had their way against Hong Kong and Nepal.
Several batting collapses made the story of their tournament in the group stage, but one of the cricketers who contributed well was Roelof van der Merwe. The former South Africa international was the standout performer with the ball, picking up 16 wickets, and also chipped in with handy runs along the way.
He had three four-wicket hauls during the tournament, including 4/18 and 4/20 in the play-offs, and earlier won the Player of the Match award for his 38 with the bat and 4/46 with the ball against PNG.
There wasn’t much of note in the batting department, but Ryan ten Doeschate, Wesley Barresi and Max O’Dowd showed glimpses of what could have been when they got in their grooves.
Areas to improveIt was their batting that let the Netherlands down, costing them crucial moments in the tournament, never more than in the team's final group game against Windies.
After Windies scored 309/6 in 48 overs, the Netherlands looked on course as they crossed 140 in the 24th over with Barresi and ten Doeschate both having made half-centuries. But a series of run outs and soft dismissals saw them slip to 167/6 by the 29th over, which is where they were when rain finished the game off.
Similar collapses against the United Arab Emirates – they slipped from 55/1 to 115/5, and Ireland – they lost six wickets for just 82 runs before being bowled out for 149, cost them too.
Rising starTimm van der Gugten, the right-arm pacer, has come out as one of the few bright sparks for the Netherlands.
Although he picked up only five wickets, his economical returns of 1/20 from nine overs against PNG and 1/28 from seven overs against UAE helped the Netherlands check the flow of runs.
His three-wicket haul (3/59) and a handy knock of 33 off just 25 balls could not give the Netherlands a win over Ireland, but it did prop up the 27-year-old van der Gugten as a prospective all-rounder candidate for the future.