The Netherlands pulled off a surprise by defeating South Africa on the final day of the Super 12 stage. This result put the Proteas out of the race for the semi-finals. Even the likes of West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and England have suffered losses at the hands of lesser established nations. With this performance, there are calls for measures to further develop the associate nations. On that note, here, we take a look as Netherlands Head Coach Ryan Campbell suggests an alternative to improve his team and other associate nations.
Netherlands Head Coach Ryan Campbell has a suggestion
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Usually, when teams tour England, as part of the practice matches, travelling teams get to play the county teams. However, Ryan Campbell was of the opinion that the teams could instead travel to the nearby European nations for a competitive game against other nations. Incidentally, recently, India played Ireland while they were on the tour to England.
On Willow Talk Daily, Campbell mentioned, “If someone’s gonna tour England, maybe they should drop into the Netherlands. Instead of playing a county team that has no interest in playing, come and play the Netherlands, play Scotland. That’s the only way we’re gonna get forward in the game.”
Cricket needs to be more inclusive for the associate nations
ICC has often decreased the participant nations in the mega-events. This has denied a fair opportunity for players from associate nations. Even in top T20 leagues such as the IPL, players from Ireland, Zimbabwe, Netherlands hardly get a chance.
If cricket has to develop, it is ncessary that ICC takes good measures to be more inclusive for these squads. Having frequent tournaments against top sides could help these nations. Yes, from a commercial point of view, it may not be feasible but with a long-term picture in the mind, it would be helpful for the sport.
