“Visual learner” Scott Edwards knows there’s plenty riding on next World Cup match
Matt Roller06-Nov-2023On Tuesday afternoon in Pune’s JW Marriott Hotel, three men will crowd around a laptop screen and devise a plan to achieve a win which would rank among the most significant in Netherlands’ cricketing history.Beat England on Wednesday and Netherlands will be on the cusp of qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy, a tournament designed specifically to exclude teams like them. Scott Edwards, Ryan Cook and Ryan van Niekerk – their captain, coach and bowling coach – will know exactly what is at stake when they work out their strategy.”The three of us will go through videos individually,” Edwards explained to ESPNcricinfo. “We do a fair bit of stuff on our own. We’ll have our own ideas and plans, then we’ll all come together, pick the best ones and mould it all together. Usually, one of us has to buy dinner, and then we go from there.”Related
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The Dutch do not have an analyst travelling with the team in India but have remote support from a Chennai-based company. They have planned meticulously throughout the World Cup, as evidenced by the sheets of paper which Edwards regularly consults when in the field.”I’m more of a visual learner: playing games every few days, the memory can go missing sometimes. It’s nice just to have a few key points, some match-ups, some fields and little things like that written down… plans for when batters are coming in, whether that’s bowling spinners or seamers, or different field settings which we’re going to use.”It sounds simple enough, but it has worked – perhaps most notably in Dharamsala, where Netherlands ignored the ground’s seam-friendly reputation, bowled nine overs of spin in the first 12 to a South African top order that likes pace on the ball, and reduced them to 44 for 4 in a famous victory.It was one of two wins across their first seven games, along with an 87-run triumph over Bangladesh in Kolkata.”A lot of people said for us to win games, we’d need to play the perfect game, or other teams would have to be off,” Edwards said. “That wasn’t the case in either of those games – and we won quite convincingly. We’re immensely proud of both.”Most pundits laughed off Netherlands’ stated aim of a semi-final push but their performances have proved it was not unrealistic. “We’ve shown glimpses of what we’re capable of,” Edwards said. “There were a few opportunities that we didn’t quite capitalise on. There’s a sense of disappointment that we didn’t quite achieve the goal we came with – but I’m proud of the way the boys have gone about it.”But they found out nine days ago that a top-eight finish would guarantee them a spot at the Champions Trophy in 18 months’ time, bringing with it the rare security of a tournament to build towards and an opportunity to find long-term sponsors: “It adds a massive element to these two games.”Netherlands were not meant to be at this World Cup. Their share of the ICC’s annual revenue is tiny compared to the nine other teams in India and their qualification came at the expense of three full-member nations in Ireland, West Indies and Zimbabwe – despite the absence of several first-choice players.They have no immediate aim to achieve Test status but hope their performances can unlock extra funding: “Obviously our main focus is white-ball cricket,” Edwards said. “If there’s a way to get full-member white-ball status, that would be huge for us – and something that would be worth investing in.Scott Edwards has scored fifties in both of Netherlands’ World Cup wins•ICC/Getty Images”Hopefully in the future, the funding does increase to some of the sides on the fringe to broaden the base of international cricket. Look at Afghanistan; look at where they were five or 10 years ago to now, playing for that semi-final spot. We feel like we’re on the same track – and a lot of sides that didn’t make this World Cup would say the same.”Edwards has become accustomed to speaking to the media since his appointment as captain last June, at the age of 25. He comes across as a quiet character and his voice gives away his Australian upbringing – but his commitment to Dutch cricket since his first call-up six years ago has never been in doubt.He is a passport-holder through his grandmother and spent a Melbourne winter playing club cricket for Excelsior in Rotterdam as an 18-year-old. It was there that his prowess against spin emerged as he developed his sweep and reverse-sweep alongside Sydney Thunder’s Alex Ross, who was also at the club.He has done well with the bat in India, making half-centuries in both of the Netherlands’ wins, and has the most dismissals of any wicketkeeper in the tournament (14). “But I’ve had opportunities to influence other games where I haven’t,” he insisted.It has not yet been enough to convince a Big Bash club to take a punt on him, even though he qualifies as a local; at a professional level, the only recognition he has had from the Australian system of his record is a second-team appearance for Victoria. “I don’t have too much control over it. I figure, at some stage, if you keep performing things will come your way.”Clearly, this is a good time to be playing against England. The sides met last June in three ODIs – Matthew Mott’s first tour as England coach – which started with England posting a record total of 498, but Netherlands grew into the series, with Edwards himself posting half-centuries in each game.Now, England are rock-bottom of the group stages. “They’re probably in a similar position to us… it puts us on a little bit of a level playing field,” Edwards said. “We’re obviously well aware that they’re a very strong side as reigning champions so we know we’ve got to be prepared and will have to play well.”Is it surprising that the previous champions are near the bottom? Yeah. But it’s a different competition, with different players and in different conditions. As you can see, any side can beat anyone on any given day. So I suppose I’m not surprised in that sense as well.”The Dutch have a proud history of turning England over at ICC events, beating them at Lord’s in the 2009 T20 World Cup and then again in Chattogram five years later. “I would’ve been in Year 12 in Melbourne,” Edwards said, laughing. Now, it is his job to mastermind another upset.
