The Orange Country and their cricket team

"Well, what an opening match we've had, ladies and gents. It's all coming down to the last over. Seven to win for Netherlands! Who'd have predicted this? Not I, sir.", screamed Cricinfo's commentator Will Luke excitedly, and understandably so. The Netherlands were within touching distance of a famous victory and nobody could believe it. This was, after all, The Netherlands and this opening match was supposed to get England off to a winning start ! On a cricketing level, it was unexpected in the extreme, an impending upset as big as any in recent times. Or was it...?

Notwithstanding their cricketing credentials, was there anything about the characteristics of the Dutch people that might have predicted this upset ?

The idea that the national characteristics of a country's people is often expressed in a sporting arena is well accepted. Brazil's footballers play the game with the generous spontaneity that defines their people. The new-found confidence of the current Indian cricket team is also thought to reflect the changing attitudes of a nation on the rise. What then, about Holland ? Is there anything in the national or sporting history of Holland that would explain this remarkable upset ?

It turns out that there is. If ever there was a country that could be characterised as David who killed Goliath, it is Holland.

Throughout history, the Dutch have made a habit of surprising people who have underestimated them. The country itself was formed as a result of 17 small provinces joining forces against the might of the Spanish Army. 7 of these would later combine to form The Netherlands. During World War II also, Hitler's advances into Europe faced stiff and unexpected resistance from the Dutch, with the Dutch winning several local battles and inflicting heavy losses on the German Luftwaffe and Airborne regiments.

In a sporting context also, the Dutch have always enjoyed killing giants. After a slow and steady improvement in their national football team in the 1960's, they made a quantum leap in the 1970's by playing their unique brand of 'Total Football', beating teams like Brazil, Argentina and Italy on their way to two consecutive World Cup finals (1974 and 1978). The Dutch hockey team also, was one of the teams responsible in the 1980's for breaking the stranglehold that India and Pakistan had on the game.

If ever there were a people that punched above their weight, it is the Dutch. Despite the relatively small population of 16.5 million (approximately quarter of the the UK) and a size of 42,000 squared kilometres (approximately one sixth of the UK), it boasts the 16th largest economy in the world and the 10th highest GDP in the world. The strength of character of the Dutch people is also evident. To deal with the risk of flooding in low-lying areas that account for a large portion of the country, they implemented the Delta Project, constructing an extensive system of 'dykes' in one of the largest construction efforts in human history.

In cricket, they hadn't caused any major upsets until today. However, as an Indian, I remember their strong performance against India in the 2003 World Cup, keeping us down to 204 batting first, with a disciplined bowling performance. In only their second match in International cricket, they put in a strong performance against England, scoring 230 in pursuit of 280 for victory. Those were One-day Internationals, where the requirement for sustained execution of skills was perhaps more than they could manage. Ironically, the Twenty20 format, in lessening the influence of skill levels might inadvertently have allowed for the increased influence of determination and character on the final outcome. The Dutch won't be complaining.