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A team of immigrants and semi-professional cricketers, who must juggle odd jobs to make ends meet, wrote one of the brightest tournament underdog stories, when they beat South Africa and pushed them to the brink of the tournament. They first hit 158 for four before holding South Africa at 145/8. Due to the unrest, India have qualified for the semi-finals, while the winner of the game between Pakistan and Bangladesh is expected to join them. South Africa’s hopes hinge on whether the game is won.
As impressive as their victory, shaped primarily by Colin Ackerman and Brandon Glover, who were both born and raised in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, is their story that makes the achievement all the more remarkable. .
I went for breakfast with a friend. I told him we were leaving for Dutch. He almost choked on the proposal!😋😋#SAvsNED pic.twitter.com/kDH1tN5nPJ
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) November 6, 2022
Their team manager had to go home halfway through the tournament because his office insisted that he return to work. “Our managers are not paid. One of them had to go to work because his office called him. So we had to call a new manager. We have two players, Stephan Myburgh and N Teja, who work in a consulting firm and play the World Cup without pay. They will be back in the office once the tournament is over,” Dutch sailor Paul Van Meekeren said.
Many have to finance themselves. “We have guys in the locker room who pay to go to their own training and only get paid when we go on tour and play games in the Netherlands. But that’s the difference between guys who can hit 1,000 balls a week and guys who study, work, all that stuff,” Meekeren said.
Some of them also act as coaches or trainers in academies and seek opportunities to play league cricket overseas, such as in England and New Zealand. Many players who competed for World Cup spots but missed out on the World Cup squad had to report to work immediately.
Many senior players quit when they found full-time jobs with better salary packages. That’s why the Dutch are a young team. “We’ve seen players who left Dutch cricket at a very young age because they got a job or when they finished school and have to look for a job. We don’t have any old guys in the club. team – we don’t have guys 28+ playing and working for the national team, they’re probably settled in Dutch until 23-24 and then a full time job [and leave]says Van Meekeren.
Deliver food to keep the passion alive
He had started delivering food himself after his Somerset County contract expired. He worked for Uber Eats and then as a part-time salesman before Gloucestershire signed him for two years.
The performance in Australia and the media exposure they received could change how they are viewed back home. “It’s huge. The amount of media we got back home because we played in India was huge. Getting pictures and messages from people in the Netherlands, family, just on the articles. is a day that I will tell my grandchildren, I hope. That’s all, playing against India,” previously said Meekeren, who also invited teams to camp in the Netherlands before visiting. in England.
The team is a melting pot of cultures, with cricketers from South Africa, India, New Zealand, Australia and Togo. “Their camaraderie became their greatest strength and contributed to the growth of the team and the sport in the Netherlands as a whole. When I was in charge, I made sure we sat in a room and drank a beer together. Everyone is brought together here by their Dutch heritage, no matter the distance,” assistant coach Ryan Campbell said during the tournament.
In a week’s time, the country’s attention will jointly turn to the FIFA World Cup, which the Netherlands have qualified for after eight years. Until this set can be in the spotlight.
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