Netherlands Ryan Cook previews their final ICC Cricket World Cup game against India
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00:00 What do you feel on taking India tomorrow?
00:18 What are you planning to gain from this match?
00:23 He praised straight back at him and his team.
00:25 I think they've played some incredible cricket over the tournament, obviously won all their
00:29 matches and played some dominating cricket as well.
00:34 Top of the table for a reason.
00:36 You can see it.
00:37 They've got a high quality of player.
00:38 They look very well organized and obviously favorites for the tournament going forward.
00:43 So yeah, obviously praise back to him rather than praise to us really.
00:47 But no, we're obviously looking forward to the game tomorrow.
00:50 It will be a great occasion on Diwali at the Chinnaswamy.
00:53 Obviously lots of excitement around that for our team.
00:58 And yeah, really looking forward to testing our skills up against the tabletoppers.
01:02 You had spoken about wanting to make it to the semifinals as the aim of the team.
01:08 That unfortunately wouldn't be happening.
01:10 The other aspect you had mentioned was about making an impact so that the other teams can
01:14 see how good Netherlands cricket is.
01:17 How do you assess the team's performance so far?
01:20 And do you think you'll have been able to make that mark that you wanted to?
01:23 And secondly, since you don't get to train a lot often together, have you all been able
01:28 to make use of the training facilities available here and the team together?
01:33 Apart from the customary pre-match training, of course.
01:36 Yeah, I think to answer the second question first, we pride ourselves on our training.
01:41 Often our optional training sessions become 14 or 15 men strong.
01:46 So we've obviously used the facilities as well as we can.
01:48 We've trained really hard for pretty much everyone in the squad.
01:51 It's their first time to India and to obviously get used to these conditions and play in these
01:55 conditions is a real privilege for us and something that we don't take for granted and
01:59 we're very grateful for.
02:02 And the guys have improved a lot in terms of all their different habits that they have
02:06 in their training and refining our processes.
02:10 The tournament has been very good for us in that regard.
02:13 To go back to the first question around other teams looking forward to try and play us,
02:18 I have actually had a few teams' coaches approach me and ask about our schedule and how potentially
02:23 they could fit into their schedule.
02:24 So that bodes well.
02:26 But I know the international schedules are quite full.
02:29 But again, we would obviously love to play as many teams as possible.
02:32 We've shown that we can compete for long periods of the game.
02:36 And obviously by playing games against these teams, we're going to be able to compete better
02:39 for longer.
02:40 And it goes without saying that the guys have put in some really good performances, both
02:45 individually and as a team, both batting and bowling and fielding.
02:50 So I think everyone has gone in a respect for the way that we've played our cricket
02:54 and the style in which we've gone about it.
02:57 And that's been really pleasing to see from a coaching perspective.
03:02 Just to add to that, if you could talk about maybe some of the specific lessons that Netherlands
03:08 have learned from playing at this level and also the ODI Super League, which has been
03:14 scrapped.
03:15 How do you go about that?
03:16 Because over the last couple of years, you've actually had a few bilateral series against
03:19 some of the top teams at least.
03:20 So not having that, does it make the road more uncertain?
03:24 Like the road ahead in terms of...
03:26 Yeah, I think the World Super League was really influential for the players.
03:31 And they often refer back to those as reference points that they've had playing in different
03:34 countries, playing against some of the top teams in the world.
03:37 And I think it's probably one of the reasons why we sit in the position that we're in today
03:41 to be competing at the World Cup.
03:44 The guys get better by playing better opposition.
03:47 And obviously, the more of those opposition we can play will be handy for us.
03:51 I think we had a situation where after the qualifiers, we had no cricket against any...
03:57 We just had Karnataka that we played against.
04:00 And probably in hindsight, probably missed a couple of fixtures to refine our skills
04:04 and get ourselves going in terms of quality fixtures that we had.
04:07 And those two games were really good, but probably not quite enough for preparation
04:11 for a World Cup like this.
04:12 And that was from no fault of our own.
04:14 We tried our best to try and get as many fixtures as we could.
04:18 But obviously, as you say, the schedules are quite packed.
04:20 So the Super League is obviously a blow for us.
04:23 But again, nothing stopping a bilateral series happening between two countries in ODI cricket
04:29 or in T20 cricket as we move towards the T20 World Cup as well.
04:34 They will be up against the good teams again.
04:36 And obviously, we'll be trying to prepare as well as we can for that tournament.
04:40 So that's been really important.
04:42 Regarding the lessons that we've had along the way, I think the main lesson that we've
04:46 learned is that our team needs to be better for longer, whether that's with the bats or
04:51 with the ball.
04:52 I think we've shown glimpses of great periods of play.
04:55 Some of those periods have been 20, 30, 40 overs long.
04:58 But an ODI is 100 overs long.
05:00 And you have to play cricket for a long period of time and you have to play it really well.
05:03 So I think the batters are learning that, that they need to be really good at their
05:07 craft for long periods of time against skillful bowlers.
05:11 And obviously, from a bowling perspective, the same thing.
05:14 In the field, I think the guys have stuck with it really well.
05:16 I think we've shown ourselves as to be one of the best fielding teams in this competition.
05:19 And they put a lot of pride into that.
05:22 And we put a lot of time and effort into that because it is one area that we can compete
05:26 in and you'll see it every training session that we have.
05:28 We always do fielding and the guys are always improving that aspect of the game.
05:32 Hi, Ryan.
05:33 You had come to India well in earlier for this World Cup and a lot of preparation has
05:39 gone in, especially after playing a wonderful qualifier, beating a team at West Indies and
05:43 coming here.
05:44 Your team has shown a lot of effort and a lot of hard work and also played very well
05:49 in one couple of games.
05:50 So the overall assessment of the entire squad, how all the boys have put in equal amount
05:54 of effort and how do you see the Netherlands cricket moving ahead in the years to come?
05:59 I've been very proud personally of the effort that all the guys have put in.
06:03 We hit this last game last on the log, but you would never know that by being in and
06:08 around the team.
06:10 You'd never sort of see a dull moment.
06:12 The connection between the group, the cohesion, the unity that we stand for is probably even
06:17 stronger than it's ever been.
06:18 So I think that goes to show the kind of culture that we have and how we are learning and how
06:24 it isn't so much about the results as it is about the progression at this stage of our
06:28 development as a team.
06:29 Obviously, would we have wanted to be in those semifinal spaces come tomorrow?
06:35 Yes, I'm sure we would have.
06:36 But I think the guys take valuable lessons away and the relationships that we've been
06:39 able to develop have been really strong.
06:42 I think we've also learnt a lot of lessons around how we should prepare for these types
06:46 of conditions.
06:47 We came out to Bangalore twice, which was a great experience for us and that was sort
06:51 of mind and an eye-opening experience for everyone.
06:55 And if we'd had a few more games in the subcontinent, I think probably we would have come in a little
06:59 bit better prepared.
07:00 But nonetheless, we had what we had and the guys, as you say, have been putting in the
07:03 full effort that they can every game that they play, every training session that they
07:07 come to.
07:08 So very proud as a coach in that regard.
07:10 Hi, coach.
07:11 Dutch athletes frequently win a lot of medals at the Olympics.
07:15 With cricket now being part of the Olympic movement, will it change how money and funding
07:22 works in cricket in the Netherlands?
07:24 And if yes, has there already been any conversations with regard to cricket in the Netherlands
07:28 with cricket coming to the Olympics?
07:32 I have absolutely no idea to any of that.
07:36 I think we've been so focused on what we've been doing here, going game to game.
07:40 There's been quick turnaround, lots of travel, practice.
07:43 We said at the start of the tournament we'll be on the edges of our capability pretty much
07:47 throughout the whole tournament and we have been.
07:50 The preparation we've put in and the amount of detail that we've gone into for each game
07:54 and trying to prepare for each opposition has been something that's been quite overwhelming
07:58 at times actually for all the support staff, the captain included, and obviously the players
08:03 who are preparing for those games.
08:05 So I don't think we've actually thought that far ahead.
08:07 I'm sure those conversations will happen once we get back home in the next couple of days.
08:13 How do you think this campaign will impact the popularity or the growth of cricket back
08:18 home?
08:19 Obviously cricket's not your number one sport.
08:20 So what do you think this will do for the profile of the sport in the country?
08:25 We hope that it does a lot.
08:26 I think it's the first time that it's been streamed on TV for quite some time.
08:32 It's reaching a greater audience now and a lot more people are talking about it within
08:36 the Netherlands and lots of people are sending pictures and messages about having watch parties
08:41 which maybe only contain 50 or 60 people in comparison to the RPL fan parks that I see
08:49 here in April and May which are packed.
08:51 But that's as big as it gets.
08:54 That's a big thing.
08:55 So I think it hopefully will grow the popularity of the game, provide aspiration for young
09:00 players who want to come through the game and into the system, create a system that
09:04 will be able to hold those players and get them to perform at international level.
09:09 And that can only be good for us.
09:12 Hopefully it also attracts fixtures like we've spoken about, more sponsorship and greater
09:16 revenue into the game that will be able to put more resources behind these group of players
09:21 but obviously players to come in the future as well.
09:25 Coach, one of the reasons why the Netherlands have done really well in recent years is that
09:31 some of your players get to experience the English county cricket.
09:34 They have been playing in this countryside.
09:36 Now you have mentioned IPL.
09:37 The IPL auction is scheduled next day in a few months' time.
09:40 Would you like to see some of your players featuring in the tournament so that the league
09:44 gets more eyeballs back in the Netherlands?
09:48 Yeah once again, the guys are very open to obviously playing games in different countries.
09:54 Our fixture list is such that most of the leagues that are played, our players would
09:58 have full availability for those leagues.
10:01 I know being involved in a lot of the leagues in IPL and in the SA20 that sometimes the
10:08 auction depends on who's available and who's not available.
10:10 I think mostly in our cases, we're always available.
10:13 If anyone is looking for players who are available the whole time and are good quality players
10:20 like they've shown here, there would be a very good mix for those guys to get.
10:25 I think a lot of the players have stood up here.
10:27 Some of the top wicket-takers in the tournament.
10:29 Some guys have really shone nicely with the bat in specific parts of the game which I
10:34 think would be very attractive to lots of different leagues.
10:37 RPL would be a great experience for our players and that would be sort of the next level.
10:44 But even just any of the other leagues as well would be well welcomed from the players'
10:48 point of view and obviously the experience that they can gain in that space.
10:57 India has already sealed their spot at the top of the entire table.
11:03 Tomorrow regardless of the win or whatever the result is, they're going to finish top.
11:07 So if there is an opportune moment, do you think this is the time to play them?
11:12 No, I don't think there's any opportune moment to play them.
11:19 Obviously they're playing really good cricket at the moment.
11:21 They've won all their matches and pretty convincingly in that way as well.
11:25 I don't see them taking their foot off the pedal in any way to going into the semifinals
11:30 and into the finals.
11:31 I'm sure they'll be putting their best foot forward and preparing for us as much as they
11:36 do for any other team and we would obviously be showing them the same courtesy as well.
11:40 So we have great respect for India and the players within there and I'm sure that they
11:46 will show the same respect to us and play a great game of cricket as we will be trying
11:49 to do tomorrow.
11:55 Bangalore has been a home away from home for you all.
11:58 You started your pre-World Cup training here.
12:02 What are your thoughts on playing your last league fixture, ending it here?
12:08 I wish that everyone could have seen Shireen Ahmed's face yesterday when we had our optional
12:12 training again, which about nine or ten guys arrived to.
12:17 It was a dream come true for him.
12:18 It was like watching someone arrive at Lords or this is his dream.
12:23 He's an RCB supporter.
12:25 He's always obviously been following the cricket and he just had such a smile on his face and
12:29 all he wanted to do was hit a six at the Chinnaswamy, which obviously he did out in the nets yesterday.
12:34 So he was obviously super happy about that.
12:37 We've loved Bangalore.
12:39 As you mentioned, we came here for a pre-camp to work on our spin play especially.
12:43 Then we came up on a pre-camp as well and it's very welcoming.
12:47 We really like Bangalore as a city and to play at the Chinnaswamy in front of a full
12:53 crowd tomorrow in our last game will be a real good challenge for us to test our skills
12:57 and where we've been, how much we've improved over the time and how much learning we may
13:01 still have to do.
13:02 We're really looking forward to it.
13:04 It's really exciting for us.
13:06 Any more?
13:07 Thank you very much.
13:09 We're looking forward to tomorrow and also to your Diwali presents.
13:12 Thank you.
13:13 Have a good evening.