World Cup 2023: Netherlands and Afghanistan finally light up a flagging tournament

An old tweet from November 2020 perfectly encapsulates the wholesome beauty of the Netherlands’ electric win against South Africa on Tuesday in Dharamsala.World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points tableBack when the world was being ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to postpone the Men’s T20 World Cup from 2020 to 2021. On 15th November 2020, ESPNCricinfo mournfully posted that the final would have been held on that day. Meekeren quote-tweeted it with an even more mournful message, “Should’ve been playing cricket today. Now I’m delivering Uber Eats to get through the winter months.”Almost three years later, Meekeren stood on the biggest stage of them all. As the Netherlands spiritedly defended 245 against a rampant South Africa, the 30-year-old tore through Aiden Markram and Marco Jansen with two speedy skidders to dismantle South Africa’s flagging chase. A harried South Africa were left gasping for breath as Scott Edwards’ Dutch boys bowled with skill and flair to squeeze the Proteas out for only 207 and script Netherlands’ first win against a Full Member at a One-Day International World Cup.From delivering Uber Eats to winning a World Cup match on the biggest stage of them all. That’s the life of an Associate player. And honestly, aren’t these the moments for which we really watch this great sport?That’s why we watch this sportThe Netherlands’ win against South Africa ranks right up there among the top upsets recorded in World Cup history, perhaps even above Afghanistan’s own demolition job against England a few days earlier. Make no mistake, Afghanistan have a magical story of their own that by now, almost everyone knows. But they are still a Full Member team and you would probably place them above the Netherlands.Afghanistan and the Netherlands’ wins have some similarities. On both occasions, the teams batted first and threw caution to the wind. You could not help but be wowed by the audacity of Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s sparkling strokeplay in his 57-ball 80 that day. Similarly, when the Netherlands batted first against South Africa, it was Roelof van der Merwe’s 19-ball 29 that shocked the Proteas and hauled Netherlands from a respectable to an imposing total. Importantly, both teams never entertained thoughts of losing after putting up good scores on board; they bowled with verve and discipline, kept the pressure on and thoroughly deserved their wins.The World Cup desperately needed thisThe other thing that both these wins have done is, finally and belatedly, lit up this World Cup. Let’s be honest – with the entire ticket fracas, the empty seats and number of one-sided matches, it’s not been the most entertaining of World Cups. The cricket’s been decent but the competition has been lacking – very few matches have gone down to the last few overs. The tournament desperately needed some magic – and thanks to Afghanistan and the Netherlands, it’s finally come alive.Read | Scott Edwards breaks Kapil Dev's record in Netherlands' win over South AfricaUnfortunately, due to the format of this tournament, these so-called upsets may not count for much in the larger scheme of things. Unlike in the 2007 edition when India and Pakistan were on the verge of being knocked out due to their losses against Bangladesh and Ireland respectively, South Africa and England can still afford to rest easy, knowing that they can pick up points against the other teams and still get through to the semi-finals. Is that a good thing? The top teams would probably agree and say it’s not fair that one bad day sends them out of the tournament. But from a fan perspective, it makes those potential banana peels far juicier when the cost of slipping up has more repercussions.Can we please make it a true ‘World’ Cup?The fact that it needed Afghanistan and the Netherlands to light up the World Cup should also send a message to the ICC. Their logic of limiting a so-called “World Cup” to ten teams was, in theory, to make matches more exciting. Well, that certainly hasn’t happened. And it’s been the Associates who’ve provided the childish enjoyment for which we watch sport.So, here’s a message to the ICC: it’s time to make this a better “World” Cup. Forget the fear of having one-sided matches, they’re happening anyway. The levels of Associate cricket are much higher now – on any given day, Nepal, Scotland, Namibia, Oman or the United Arab Emirates will give a top-flight team a run for their money. And even if they don’t, that’s okay. Maybe there’s a new wonder spinner hiding away in Papua New Guinea for the world to uncover. Or, who knows, maybe, we’ll get another World Cup moment like Dwayne Leverock from 2007.As Afghanistan and the Netherlands have shown, these are teams with plenty of self-belief. This is the only chance the world gets them to see their skills. Let’s have more of them, please.