Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said a belief in "total cricket" led to their biggest-ever World Cup victory following Tuesday's stunning 38-run victory over mighty South Africa.
"Total football" was a concept pioneered by Dutch coach Rinus Michels where players seamlessly rotated in and out of each other's positions, which brought Ajax huge success in the 1970s.
The Dutch cricket team applied something similar on Tuesday.
With the side reeling at 82-5, the bottom half of the order came to the rescue with the bat to post a competitive 245 total, led by the skipper's unbeaten knock of 78.
"As a group, we pride ourselves on playing total cricket which is guys that are coming in at number eight, nine and 10 have just as much of the ability to put on those partnerships," Edwards said.
"Out there batting with them, it was just about giving ourselves a chance to go harder later in the innings."
Roelof van der Merwe (29) and Aryan Dutt (23 not out) walked in at number 10 and 11, smashing three boundaries and four sixes between them.
"Luckily enough, Roelof and Aryan in there played some unbelievable cameos to get us to what we thought was probably round about a par score," Edwards said.
The Dutch players were also seen looking at sheets of information during the match which they had tucked up their sleeves.
"We obviously do our analysis work before games. I suppose the secret's out," Edwards said. "We just have a couple of points there, just to remind us when we're on the field and different guys come in."
Edwards also praised the team's fitness due to the strength and conditioning work put in as the Dutch, the only non-Test playing nation in the tournament, look to advance to the knockout stage.
"It's a brand of cricket that we want to play. And to be able to play that, guys have got to be fit enough," he said. "Most teams around the world are, but that's definitely one of the focus points we have."
As the Netherlands celebrated a famous victory, it was a time of reflection for South Africa, whose early tournament form had them among the contenders for the title.
South Africa were clinical in victories over Sri Lanka and Australia in their first two games, but sloppy and careless in what proved a well-deserved victory for the Dutch in Dharamasala.
"We need to have some conversations with the boys," Proteas captain Temba Bavuma said after a defeat in which his bowlers conceded 32 extras, the second-highest ‘scorer’ in the Netherlands innings.
"The extras, that's something you can control," Bavuma said. "Getting 30 (32) extras, that is an extra five overs and is always going to hurt you.
"That is a conversation for us to have – whether it is skill or a complacency thing – but at the end it did count for quite a lot.
"We definitely dropped the ball there letting them get to 240-plus," Bavuma added. "With the batting, we were still confident in chasing down that score but we didn't get any partnerships. Their double-spin in the powerplay was something we did not adapt to.
"We were clinical against Australia, but the challenge was always to come back and replicate that performance. The fielding wasn't up to standard.
"The guys need to answer the questions themselves about where they were mentally. That's definitely not the standard we'd like to show from a fielding point of view."
South Africa next meet England in Wankhede on Saturday with their opponents also having lost their last outing, to Afghanistan, in what will be a big early match-up in the race for a semi-final place.
"Our campaign is not over by any stretch of the imagination, but you got to feel the emotion of today and come back tomorrow with the head held up," Bavuma said.
Company%20Profile
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
Notable Yas events in 2017/18
October 13-14 KartZone (complimentary trials)
December 14-16 The Gulf 12 Hours Endurance race
March 5 Yas Marina Circuit Karting Enduro event
March 8-9 UAE Rotax Max Challenge
Honeymoonish
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Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
