Cricket is a breathtaking sport with many rivalries and matchups between countries that differ significantly in culture and play style; such is the case of Oman and Netherlands cricket. Even though these two nations may lack the focus most sports enjoy from the so-called established cricketing nations, their matches are novel in a good way. Because of their varied cricketing backgrounds, rich cultures and difference in the ways they play the game, the face-off between Oman and Netherlands makes for an interesting story for the fans as well as the analysts.
Oman: The Rising Force in Associate Cricket
In the recent past, Oman’s emergence in the cricketing arena has been spectacular. Oman, who has never been traditionally viewed as a cricketing giant, has slowly developed a good cricketing base and has transformed itself into one of the top Associate Nations. History of cricket dates back to even the 1970s in this country but it was not until the 2000s that it gained full blown popularity. The Oman Cricket Board (OCB) has been instrumental in bringing in young players mentoring them and laying down a nurturing base for them to develop their game.The national team has advanced significantly since its debut on the international level vis a vis the ICC World T20 Qualifiers and other tours in 50 overs. Oman has seasoned veterans combined with young up and coming players as the youngsters are groomed to ensure that there are no future gaps among the teams under the associate category. This has always been the approach taken in the team designs, especially for the qualification targeting major ICC events where the team built has quite a good bowling core and batting partnerships. With cricket’s increased popularity, the sultanate has also sought to develop the sport’s infrastructure with Oman cricket stadium, Al Amerat becoming an international cricket arena, mainly for the T20 matches. Hosting several international events for the sports and the winning the matches have also contributed to the enhancement of the country’s cricketing status and World Cup Qualifiers and many ICC events do feature the national team.
Netherlands: A Steady Presence in Global Cricket
Now, Oman's cricketing contact internationally is relatively new as opposed to the Netherlands which has been one of the countries under the Associate Nations cricketing bracket for many years now. Cricket in the Netherlands has flourished since the late 1800s, with the first fifty-over world cup being held in 1975 and the Dutch team taking part in the crickets since then. Although the overcoming of the crowds which full member countries such as India, Australia and England still eludes the Netherlands, they always maintain a good competition with higher ranked oppositions especially in the ODIs and T20s. One of the vital moments in Dutch cricket’s history happened in 2009 when they stunned England in the ICC T20 World Cup and thereby created history for themselves. Most of the plays of the Dutch team contains seasoned players who are mostly of Dutch-Caribbean descent in the past, and young ones that have made the team quite competitive. The Netherlands also has an orderly cricket association with the presence of various clubs that act as feeders to the national teams. To start with, the primary reason for the Dutch they play very intense cricket is because that is how the Dutch approach the game- tactically, with discipline. Their strength is very much oriented towards partnerships particularly in shorter formats of the game. Even if they are not the most popular team in the world, the tourists are however determined to ensure that their domestic cricket structure serves the purpose of creating cricketers who will perform at the international level, players such like Ryan ten Doeschate and Pieter Seelaar, who have been a huge influence in the development of the team over the years.
Oman vs Netherlands: Key Differences in Playing Style
There is a kaleidoscopic display of sporting proficiency when Oman and the Netherlands meet on the cricket turf. The strengths of Oman as in its brazen stature and aggression especially in the T20 format is often times in conspicuous contrast to the display of the Netherlands which is action but in most cases more calculated and strategic. In terms of batting, Oman tends to favor a more dynamic approach. Oman's batting order can effectively score fast runs and hit boundaries without much trouble thanks to players such as Jatinder Singh and Zeeshan Maqsood. This aspect of the team’s game is extremely lethal, in particular, owing to the fact that they play a very fast T20 cricket and can switch from one pace to another very quickly. The latter, however, believes in a slower, more calculated batting technique, graded batting order. Players like Bas de Leede and Max O'Dowd are more concerned with the consistency of the batting order than with its attacking intentions. The Dutch batsmen are often more prepared to focus on valued innings building periods, ensuring partnerships and taking chances rather than all out hitting. They can be exasperating and build pressure over the course of an innings. The two sides have potent bowling line-ups, although they adopted a different style in bowling. The bowlers make use of the turn in pace and an occasional fast bowler in Oman’s leg spin bowling attack. Oman possesses a deep bowling able-bodied squad having skilled bowlers in Bilal Khan and Kaleemullah. The Netherlands however has a traditional take on bowling. With Pieter Seelaar being the most experienced bowler, their seamers and spinners are more concerned with precision rather than going for wicket and practice pressure by containing runs. The bowlers from the Netherlands are also very accurate and effective in seam movement and thus are a big threat to any opponent.
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