By James Reid, Sportsbeat
Fred Klaassen is confident Netherlands can claim some scalps at this autumn’s men’s Cricket World Cup after navigating qualification in dramatic fashion.
The Dutch booked their place in India with a second-place finish at the qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe thanks to a stunning late victory over Scotland.
Netherlands’ qualification, ahead of two-time champions West Indies, was all the more impressive due to the absence of county cricket stars such as Klaassen and Colin Ackermann.
But Haywards Heath-born/Kent bowler Klaassen is determined to be part of the squad that heads to the subcontinent later this year and hopes a strong showing for Manchester Originals in The Hundred can help him book his ticket to India.
“I absolutely want to be a part of it,” he said. “The boys played amazingly in the qualifiers and now we will look forward to going to India and knocking over some of the bigger teams, which will be exciting.
“It just shows how cutthroat those qualifying tournaments are. We have played in them for year and now some of the Test-playing nations have to go and qualify, they are seeing how cutthroat it is and it is big pressure stuff.
“We have played in the European Cricket League over the last few years and a lot of those games the county players weren’t available so that was vital experience for the domestic guys, especially when they went to the qualifiers without any of the county guys and qualified.
“They played really well, which is not surprising as they have been building and Dutch cricket is going from strength to strength. It is great we don’t have to rely on county players, and we are building something big back home.
“It is great if it is competitive to get into the squad. You have just got to try and look after yourself, staying fit is the key and consistency of playing helps a lot.”
Klaassen was speaking at the launch of The Hundred sponsor KP Snacks’ Everyone In initiative, which will see 100 cricket pitches built over three years in areas lacking appropriate facilities.
And the 30-year-old bowler hopes new facilities in areas of the country rarely associated with cricket can inspire a new generation to take up the sport as The Hundred takes centre stage across August for a third year in a row.
He added: “It has been great; it is nice to come into the community and the kids had a great time which is the main thing. It is the start of The Hundred, so it is always exciting, and it has been a great day.
“Just speaking to some of the kids, they don’t really watch cricket, but they have got a lot of skills. So hopefully we can spread a bit of awareness around the community and grow the game.
“The slogan here today is Everyone In and I think that is absolutely right. Cricket is a game for everyone, we have seen the women’s game progress and hopefully it keeps going and we need to also reach out to other communities.”
KP Snacks are funding 100 new community cricket pitches over the next three years. To find out more and search for a pitch visit: www.everyonein.co.uk/pitchfinder
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