And at the Cricket World Cup in India, the Netherlands showed little openness to a “Commonwealth-like” sport.

It’s not just rugby that fascinates the English, Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans. Since October 5, another World Cup tournament, cricket, has astounded fans, as have fans of other Commonwealth countries, such as India or Pakistan, who have no interest in the oval ball. The competition organized in India It is done in two stages : Until November 12, all participating teams compete against each other, before the best four teams reach the semi-finals. The final match is scheduled to be held on November 19.

Of the ten eligible countries, only two are not part of the Commonwealth: Afghanistan and the Netherlands. The Dutch have the added advantage of being the only ones who cannot be part of the full twelve members of the ICC, the highly revered international cricket council, the governing body of the discipline.

They owe it to their presence in the World Cup – the fifth^H In their history – to second place in the ICC Cup in July in Zimbabwe. The performance was made all the more remarkable because on this occasion three full members of the ICC failed to qualify: Ireland, the West Indies (West Indies, a sort of Caribbean selection) and the host country.

Make no mistake: playing cricket is not a fad in the Netherlands. Its creation dates back to the end of the eighteenth century.^H century and early nineteenth century^H Last century, with the passage of British soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars. “ It was more popular than football until the end of the nineteenth century.^H century, before it became number onerecalls Roland Lefebvre, the former Dutch great, who is now the high performance director of his national federation. The first club was established in 1875. Today, there are 45 clubs, most of them in major cities in the west of the country such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. »

The proximity of some former Dutch colonies to former British colonies in the Caribbean also helped the spread of this striking sport in the land of tulips. Suriname, for example, is located right next to Guyana. St. Maarten is located in the heart of the West IndiesMr. Lefebvre recalls. We have a player in Daniel Durham, who is from Saint-Martin, even if he is not at this World Cup. »

Even though he ranked 14th^H A country in the ICC world rankings, Netherlands has only 6,000 cricketers and no dedicated stadium. When they are fortunate enough to host large nations on occasion, the Federation builds temporary closed areas, “A difference of 3,500 places against Pakistan or 7,500 places against England.” “It is a dream to build a stadium, but it is not necessary at the moment“, explains Roland Lefebvre. When you are not a full member [du conseil], You don’t play international Tests often enough every season. This would not be financially feasible. »

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