Netherlands Last Played Under Floodlights During Bangladesh Tour

After their defeat to USA in Chennai, Netherlands head coach Ryan Cook suggested that a lack of experience playing under lights may have contributed to the loss. Before Friday’s match, the Netherlands had not played a day-night or night T20I since last September. Between the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups, they had played only three T20Is under floodlights. However, Cook refused to use it as an excuse.

“We haven’t had the opportunity to practice under floodlights yet. One practice session was washed out by rain, and a warm-up match in Bangladesh was also abandoned due to rain. Even on the eve of the match, we weren’t allowed to train under lights. So this was our first time playing under lights since the Bangladesh series, and some of our players weren’t even part of that tour. It’s new for many of the guys, but that’s not an excuse. We had to go out and do the job. It was simply a poor night for us,” Cook said.

In this World Cup, Netherlands became the second team after Namibia to publicly speak about their lack of exposure to playing under lights. Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus also admitted that they do not have sufficient lighting facilities in their country. “We don’t have proper lights in Namibia. Infrastructure is a major challenge for us. Apart from tournaments like the Nepal Premier League, ILT20, or World Cups, we don’t often get used to playing and training under lights,” he said.

Chasing 197 on Friday, the Netherlands were bowled out for 103 in 15.5 overs, with seven of their wickets falling to spin. They had expected dew to play a role in Chennai, but it never arrived. As a result, USA’s spinners were able to grip and turn the ball effectively. Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, and Mohammad Mohsin delivered impactful spells. Perhaps influenced by the dew factor seen during Chennai Super Kings’ matches in the IPL, the Netherlands opted to field first. Questions have since been raised about whether that decision was a misreading of the conditions.

“There was no dew out there tonight, so their spinners were able to grip the ball really well,” Cook said. “We will review the decision at the toss. But the reality is we didn’t execute with the ball or the bat.”

Cook was particularly disappointed with the bowling performance. USA raced to 53 for 1 in the powerplay and built the foundation for a big total. Despite frequent bowling changes, the Netherlands failed to regain control, and USA eventually posted 196 for 6.

“The wicket was good, but 195 was probably above par,” Cook added. “We didn’t execute our plans with the ball, which created scoreboard pressure. Credit to USA, they batted very well and bowled quality spin. Our decision-making and execution were not up to the mark.”

Meanwhile, the Netherlands have also been dealing with an injury to experienced pacer Paul van Meekeren. After taking 2 for 20 against Pakistan in Colombo in their opening match, he has missed the last two games due to injury. Cook remains hopeful that he will return for their final group-stage match against India.

“Paul picked up an injury after the first match. We tried to bring him back for the second game, but he hasn’t fully recovered yet. We are working to get him fit and hope he can return for the last match,” Cook said.