Bas de Leede does family proud with all-round performance to seal World Cup spot for Netherlands

New Delhi [India], July 8 (ANI): Netherlands all-rounder Bas de Leede smashed an explosive century and took a five-wicket haul to guide Netherlands to a win over Scotland in their ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers match and the Dutch have finally made it to the ICC Cricket World Cup, which will be held in India for the first time ever in its entirety from October 5 to November 19 this year.

The 23-year-old is a rising star in Netherlands Cricket, a team which has caused numerous upsets in recent years by beating world champions/full-time ICC members like Bangladesh, England, South Africa and West Indies. He has represented the Netherlands in 30 ODIs and scored 765 runs at an average of 27.32, with one century and two half-centuries in 29 innings. He also has 24 wickets in the format with the best figures of 5/52.
But not many fans are aware that his father Tim de Leede, who played for the Netherlands from 1996-2007, appeared in three WC tournaments for the Dutch side. His first-ever World Cup appearance was in 1996, followed by 2003 and then 2007.

Tim’s next appearance in the 2003 WC saw the Netherlands showing a tough fight against India, Australia and Pakistan, some of the best ODI teams of that time and all full-time ICC members.

Notably, Tim is the all-rounder who managed to give Team India, one of the biggest contenders of the World Cup, a scare of their lifetime. He took a four-wicket haul against India in their match, taking prized wickets of Sachin Tendulkar (52), Rahul Dravid (17) and Harbhajan Singh (13), Zaheer Khan (0). India was bundled out for just 204 in 48.5 overs.

The target was pretty much chasable for the Dutch side. But only Daan van Bunge (62) could withstand the next-level Indian bowling and Netherlands was bundled out for 136 runs in reply, losing by 68 runs. Though the Netherlands lost, the level of fight shown against India was commendable. Even one mistake by Indian bowlers could have sent Men in Blue’s World Cup campaign into trouble, as they registered a heavy loss to Aussies in their next match.

Tim made his final appearance in a WC back in 2007, in which the Netherlands once again crashed out in the Group stage.

In all, Tim represented the Netherlands in 29 ODIs, scoring 400 runs at an average of 16.66 with two half-centuries and taking 29 wickets.

Will Bas be able to make his family proud in Cricket World Cup 2023 and ensure that the Dutch deliver a path-defining performance? Only time will tell.