The Dutch Bulldog is older, wiser, and offering the power Netherlands thrive on | Sports activities

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“Bulldogs will all the time be arduous work.” Or ought to that be bulldogs will all the time do arduous work? “I don’t actually know what to say about that,” a laughing Roelof van der Merwe tells Cricinfo from Lucknow, the place Netherlands are getting ready to play Sri Lanka of their fourth World Cup sport.

Thirty-six hours earlier than our chat, the Dutch beat South Africa – the nation of van der Merwe’s start, and the group he represented 26 occasions greater than a decade in the past – to announce themselves at this event. Eleven months earlier, Netherlands beat South Africa of their remaining group-stage match of the T20 World Cup to knock them out of the competitors. Van der Merwe was a key determine on each events and his nickname, “Bulldog”, which speaks to his tenacity and/or stubbornness (relying on which method you take a look at it), has been some of the repeated phrases utilized in descriptions in regards to the spirit the group has proven.

So does he really personal a bulldog?

“I used to be serious about it and I did some analysis and discovered that they’re arduous work. I’ve settled for a poodle. A Shih-Poo – it’s a mixture between a Shih Tzu and a poodle,” he says.

And who’s the Shih-Poo of the Netherlands’ group? “Let me suppose… who’s chilled and simply desires to lie round all day,” van der Merwe muses out loud. “I’ll go along with Paul van Meekeren.”

The previous Uber Eats driver was something however easygoing within the South Africa match. Like van der Merwe, van Meekeren took two essential wickets in South Africa’s chase. Additionally, like van der Merwe, van Meekeren was not a part of the Netherlands’ World Cup qualifying marketing campaign in Zimbabwe, the place they beat West Indies and Scotland on their method to securing their spots in India. The pair additionally performed a restricted half within the Netherlands’s World Cup Tremendous League run – county and life experiences are an necessary half of the present squad.

Van der Merwe, for instance, has been taking part in cricket since earlier than a number of the Dutch squad, resembling Aryan Dutt and Vikramjit Singh, had been born. He was hopeful of taking part in in a World Cup a dozen years in the past, when the one member of the present squad who was concerned with Dutch cricket was Wesley Barresi, however fell out of South Africa’s plans and since then thought a 50-over World Cup was by no means going to be a part of his story. Little did he understand how a lot would change.

“I believed 2011 was my greatest likelihood of getting chosen for South Africa however it didn’t occur and it was disappointing,” he stated. “I by no means really considered it after that once more,” he stated. “I’m ecstatic to be taking part in a 50-over World Cup. It’s an important privilege.”

He performed the final of his South Africa ODIs on a tour to the West Indies in 2010, by which era it had change into clear that the group needed a extra attacking spinner. “Immy [Imran Tahir] turned accessible and it was a no brainer as a result of he’s particular, he’s a thriller spinner, and that’s precisely what we would have liked on the time. It was disappointing for me however I understood as a result of that man is a gun.”

Now, van der Merwe is the gun in a Dutch group, the place not everyone seems to be knowledgeable sportsperson, and has discovered himself because the face of their success even when he isn’t fairly able to personal that but. “I nonetheless really feel like am only a regular allrounder,” he says. “I need to be a constant cricketer and in South Africa I solely wanted to be that and that was high quality. In Holland, it looks like I’m doing a bit extra however I’m nonetheless simply attempting to be a constant performer. I’m not a celebrity.”

Ask round, and opinions will differ. Throughout the sport in opposition to South Africa, Mitchell McClenaghan, talking on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day present, recognized the intervals of play which van der Merwe was concerned in as amongst “essentially the most energetic of this World Cup to date”, and that it ignited a contest that might have gone flat. “What he brings to the sport is pure enjoyment,” McClenaghan stated.

Van der Merwe’s first impression got here with the bat, when he joined Scott Edwards within the 34th over, with Netherlands on 140 for 7. He instantly took on the bowling, and took 15 runs off Gerald Coetzee to take the struggle to South Africa. Edwards responded to the intent and collectively they placed on what was in the end a match-winning 64 for the eighth wicket. Did he plan to up the ante in that method? “That’s simply all the time what I attempt to do,” he stated. “I really feel if I convey that power, it provides me the higher likelihood to carry out as properly. It’s simply usually one thing that I concentrate on with my sport: I need to run arduous. I need to look busy. It will get me into the sport.”

“We need to do properly, now we have these pressures round performing however it does get just a little bit simpler once you become older, you perceive {that a} bit higher. Enjoying at my age, you will have a little bit of perspective – it’s only a sport”

Roelof van der Merwe on being one of many senior execs within the Netherlands group

The identical factor applies within the subject. Van der Merwe likes to “get into the sport as early as attainable” with the ball as a result of he feels that “the longer it drags on, I’m not within the sport; even when I simply get a fast bowl, it will get me going”.

He was introduced on within the powerplay and took a wicket along with his first ball, and a vital wicket too. Van der Merwe bowled South Africa captain Temba Bavuma with a supply that utterly foxed him, despite the fact that it was not meant to.

“The dearth of flip did him,” van der Merwe stated. “You’ll take these additionally. There isn’t a greater sight than turning previous the bat and getting [the batter] bowled however when it goes previous the within [edge], you’ll take that as properly. However personally, it was a superb wicket for me to take. It simply gave me extra confidence and settled me into my spell.”

And it was palpable even to these from the skin how a lot distinction getting that wicket made. “You can see his fielding lifted from there as properly and once you see a 38-year previous diving round, stopping the ball, placing his physique on the road and getting up along with his arms on knees as a result of he’s absolute knackered, that’s the stuff that lifts the younger fellows,” McClenaghan stated.

Van der Merwe’s age makes him the second-oldest at this World Cup – Barresi tops the checklist – however he has not advised it will likely be his final event and nonetheless relishes taking part in cricket. “I simply love the competitors of it. I’m a really aggressive individual in no matter I do – and being round guys within the changeroom, I actually take pleasure in it. It retains me younger.”

However he admits that issues are beginning to meet up with him. “The coaching and taking part in and bodily a part of that – I nonetheless really feel I’m updated with that,” he says. “However the restoration half is a bit more durable and a bit longer. I do really feel it a bit extra within the days after. It seems like I’m nonetheless competing bodily and doing every little thing they [his team-mates] can, clearly not on the similar tempo. And I’m attempting to avoid wasting all my power for the video games.”

That type of method comes with age, and the data of when to push and when to carry again. It’s additionally why van der Merwe can put the Dutch dream of qualifying for the World Cup, taking part in in it, turning over a prime facet and nonetheless aiming for the semi-finals in context. Whereas he nonetheless believes they will get there, he additionally isn’t overly involved with trying that far forward.

“With expertise, these anxieties now we have across the sport and failure and dropping, you do get a little bit of perspective round it,” he stated. “We need to do properly, now we have these pressures round performing however it does get just a little bit simpler once you become older, you perceive {that a} bit higher. Enjoying at my age, you will have a little bit of perspective – it’s only a sport.”

However, on the fitting days and on the proper occasions, it’s a bloody good sport and van der Merwe is aware of that too. Requested to sum up his emotions on Thursday night time, he had three phrases: “It was lekker!”

That’s Afrikaans for good, nice however it’s additionally not fairly. Mentioned with a South African accent in the fitting tone it means it was rather more than simply good or nice. It was spectacular. However does it imply that the Dutch made themselves South Africa’s nemesis? “We beat them twice in a row at World Cups now and everyone is like: “You’re their bogey group.” It doesn’t matter who we beat. Folks nonetheless ask me if it feels higher as a result of its South Africa and the reply isn’t any, now we have to beat all of the groups. Simply because I’ve received that hyperlink with South Africa, doesn’t make it extra particular.” –Cricinfo

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