23-year-old Bas de Leede was the pick among Dutch bowlers as the associate team bowled out Pakistan for 286 on Friday. Playing their first World Cup game in 12 years, the Netherlands were never intimidated by the mighty Pak line-up as Bas de Leede led from the front as the 'Oranje' picked up wickets at regular intervals.
Cricketing pedigree
Interestingly, the Dutch have only played one World Cup sans a de Leede in its ranks. When they qualified for the coveted tournament in 1996, 2003 and 2007, all-rounder Tim de Leede was part of the squad. Tim, who is best remembered for sending back four Indian batsmen including Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, is Bas' father. He was declared the Man of the Match for his heroics with the bowl, despite his team failing to win the game.
INNINGS REPORT: Bas de Leede bags four wickets as Netherlands bowl out Pakistan for 286
Tim and Bas are not the first father-son duo to play ICC World Cup over the years. In fact, they are the seventh father-son pair to achieve the unique feat after Don and Derek Pringle (England), Lance and Chris Cairns (New Zealand), Chris and Stuart Broad (England), Geoff, Mitchell and Shaun Marsh (Australia), Rod and Tom Latham (New Zealand) and Kevin and Sam Curran (England).
"It's very special, but I never set out to replicate what my dad did... But it means a lot to me to represent my country at a World Cup. It's also pretty cool that my dad did the same thing. To be able to listen to stories about his time is amazing," Bas de Leede had told ESPN Cricinfo.
"We'll play our best cricket. If it's enough on our day, we're going to win a couple of games. It's exciting for us to compete against the world's best and show our qualities. We're playing nine teams. It can't get better," the gifted Durham all-rounder added.
Bas De Leede: Team Holland's X factor
Bas De Leede is not just a member of the Dutch team but is their top wicket-taker of the year. A brilliant qualification campaign made him the only World Cupper heading to the tournament with the best batting and bowling average for his respective side. He took a fifer before scoring a century against Scotland in a do-or-die match to ensure the Dutch a spot in the tournament.
The European side is having a commentable period on the cricket field, having qualified for the 2021 UAE T20 World Cup, 2022 Australia T20 World Cup and now the 50-over World Cup in India. As they were among the top eight sides last year, they have automatically secured their spot at next year's T20 World Cup as well.
