"I know it's a financial thing, but I also know that there's a lot more money somewhere and it's not in Associate cricket," feels Borren. Picture credit: ICC/Sportsfile.
"We don't have too many sledgers in our team and we try not to do that too often, but I'll try tell you something that's on top of my mind," says Peter Borren, the Netherlands captain, easing into a conversation after the team's practice game against Karnataka State Cricket Association XI at the Alur facility near Bangalore.
"During the 2011 World Cup, we were playing against India - a squad filled with legends. [Virender] Sehwag, [Sachin] Tendulkar, Yuvraj [Singh]. India had Sehwag and Tendulkar opening, then Yusuf Pathan came in at No. 3, [Virat] Kohli came in at No. 5 and at that time we had never heard of Kohli.
"He was very new on the scene then but he was playing with Sehwag, Tendulkar, Yuvraj and [Mahendra Singh] Dhoni, who were legends. Spinners were bowling and [Wesley] Barresi, standing up the stumps, said: "who the hell is this guy playing with all these legends?
"Soon after that Kohli got bowled and then Barresi said: 'I'll never ever hear about you again.'" Kohli turned out to be a pretty good player and obviously things haven't turned out to be the way Barresi wanted. He's the worst sledger, but we don't have a good sledger in the team."
***
It's refreshing to see an international player laugh, chit-chat, reveal secrets, talk about the game in such a way. For journalists these days, it's very hard not to get clichd answers. The players now, especially in India, distance themselves from the media personnel, perhaps, for reasons that are understandable.
Soon after the game was over, Borren sat down with his team and was intent on knowing what his boys had to say. It's almost 6 PM local time and after the team meeting concluded, Borren stayed back for the interview just outside the dressing room even with his teammates leaving for the hotel.
"I think Ben Cooper has the best taste in music in the squad," he says, when asked some candid questions about the players in the team. "Mudassar Bukhari is the most well-dressed player off the field and the laziest one, I'll not tell because it'll upset him but the boys know who it is."
Borren, now, is at ease and it's also time to shift focus on more serious things. Netherlands were in Alur ahead of the ICC World T20 for a preparatory camp before travelling to Mohali for the warm-up games. They have been grouped with Bangladesh, Ireland and Oman in the qualifying stage and have a tough task at hand if they are to progress to the Super 10.
"It's not an easy competition to get through to Super 10," admits Borren. "We managed to get through in 2014 and that's what we are going to try and do again. You got four teams and all those teams have a chance. The biggest challenge for us is going to be to turn up three times on every day. We cannot afford to have a bad day considering the format. With there being four teams and one team going through, we've got nothing to lose and that makes up pretty dangerous."
One of the biggest challenges in front of the Associate squads will be to topple the likes of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Both teams are Test nations and play more frequently. The Associate nations, on the other hand, get a handful of fixtures. For instance, Netherlands, after the World T20 Qualifier in July last year, have played only two Intercontinental Cup ties, three ICC World Cricket League games and Twenty20 Internationals.
"Yeah, there are not many matches. We play in the WCL and that's a three-year cycle. We play four one-day matches in a year and two four-day games, so it's not much cricket," says Borren. "We try to organise our own matches but that's very expensive. We need to be playing a lot more cricket and it's just a shame that we don't play enough.
"We've been doing well but how do we build momentum? We went to the UAE to play one four-day game, won the next two one-day games, but then, there was no cricket till August or September. I know it's a financial thing, but I also know that there's a lot more money somewhere and it's not in Associate cricket."
"I can remember the game against India in Delhi, with 40,000 people at the Kotla and when Tendulkar and Sehwag walked out to bat, it was crazy. The (noise) was deafening." © Getty
Borren has been leading the squad for a number of years now. Netherlands came to India to play the World Cup in 2011 and since then have come a long way. Apart from their memorable wins against England in World T20 in 2009 and2014, they've also managed to stretch teams like South Africa and New Zealand.
The Netherlands captain believes that a lot of credit goes to Anton Roux, the coach, for their development. "When we started in 2006, we were very amateur. We trained once or twice a week, now we train full-time. Now we've got a hell of a team. I remember coming into the World Cup in 2011 with a pretty average side," he starts. "We've developed a lot with some good Dutch players coming through and a lot of credit has to go to Anton Roux, our coach, who has managed to turn what was a pretty average outfit to a professional outfit.
"I've enjoyed watching the development of the team over the years. From where we were to where we are now, a lot of credit has to go to a lot of people and I'm certainly very proud of what we've achieved so far."
Interestingly, Borren played Under-19 World Cup for New Zealand in 2002 before moving to Netherlands. "I played the U19 World Cup when I was still in school," he recollects. "I got a chance to play club cricket in Amsterdam and I loved it. My father is Dutch, so I stayed there. Honestly, I'm not actually a good cricketer and if I was in New Zealand, I wouldn't have been a Test cricketer.
"I not only had the wonderful opportunity to travel the world and play in different places but also to lead an Associate team. It's been a wonderful experience (since) I made the move."
How often would you get an international cricketer admitting that he's not good enough to represent a nation?
Borren loves playing in India and believes this World T20 is going to a very good experience for the team, especially for his young wards. "For the young guys, it'll be a massive experience," he says. "I can remember the game against India in Delhi, with 40,000 people at the Kotla and when Tendulkar and Sehwag walked out to bat, it was crazy. The (noise) was deafening.
"And in Bangladesh in 2014. Not as big as the Indian crowd, but they still make a lot of noise. It's something that stays with you forever. It's always a thrill and a lot of fun for everyone involved."
Only a few groundsmen are left wrapping up their work and it's also time to wind up the conversation. "Hopefully, I see you guys in Bangalore when we come here to play India," he says before leaving us with a few nice anecdotes and some puzzling questions.
via- Cricbuzz
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