Cricket commentator Aakash Chopra expressed his surprise at the Netherlands not playing a single international game before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The Netherlands qualified for the tournament by finishing as runners-up in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers 2023.
In the final of the qualifiers, Sri Lanka emerged victorious, defeating the Netherlands by 128 runs. Both teams will now join the other eight teams in the ICC World Cup 2023 in October. The Netherlands’ qualification for the ODI World Cup was notable, as they outperformed teams like West Indies and Scotland.
In a YouTube video, Aakash Chopra praised the Netherlands for their qualification and their impressive performance against strong teams.
“The Netherlands have qualified for the World Cup. This is a great story. No one expected them to qualify, but they did. They sent the West Indies home, and now they have also defeated Scotland. So overall, the Netherlands have played really well,” said the former India opener.
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However, Chopra expressed his surprise and disappointment that the Netherlands will not have any international games leading up to the World Cup. He described it as a travesty that a team that has qualified for the tournament and will compete against nine other teams will not have the opportunity to play a single international match for the next three months.
“From now until the World Cup, the team is not playing a single international match. This is a travesty because you have qualified for the World Cup, you will compete against nine other teams, and you want to be on par with them, but you will not get the chance to play any international matches in the next three months,” added Chopra.
The ICC World Cup 2023 is set to begin on October 5, with the final scheduled for November 19. India is hosting the tournament, and the participating teams are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, England, and the Netherlands.
England is the defending champion of the ODI World Cup, having also won the T20 World Cup last year under the captaincy of Jos Buttler. India will be aiming to win the ODI World Cup title for the third time, having previously lifted the trophy in the 1983 and 2011 editions.