Here is the full transcript of Dutch captain Scott Edwards’ press conference ahead of their final Group A clash against India at the ICC Men’s Under-20 World Cup in Ahmedabad.
(Reporter:)
The Netherlands have been playing in the World Cup since 2009. You’re too good to qualify, but what do you need to win and be consistent at major World Cups? Of course, you had a couple of wins against South Africa and England, the main teams in the previous editions.
(Scott Edwards 🙂
Yeah, I think there’s always some trouble around association cricket, I think we’ve probably punched above our weight for a while. I think we played a lot of good cricket in the World Cup. Yeah, I think it depends a lot on getting more opportunities against test nations to get to the next level. However it happens, obviously there are restrictions on funding for us and things like that, but that’s not really under our control. For us it’s just about playing our best cricket when we can on the world stage and hopefully that gives us opportunities.
(Reporter:)
Scott, as associate nations you will only end up playing the big teams or test nations during the World Cup, be it T20 or ODI World Cup. So as associate nations how difficult is it because suddenly out of nowhere you will have to step up your game and the challenge of playing big teams so how difficult is the whole thing because
(Scott Edwards 🙂
Yes, of course it’s difficult, I think it’s a reality for us and I think for us it’s just preparation as best we can, entering these competitions. And like I said, the better you play, the more games you win, the more voice you potentially have, and maybe that comes with opportunities. I think this World Cup has been great with the way a lot of affiliates have played and hopefully that will encourage more opportunities for Test nations to play against team-mates outside of the World Cup.
(Reporter:)
Scott, the loss against the US was a tough pill to swallow and how was the mood in the camp for you in the last game?
(Scott Edwards 🙂
Yes, it obviously was. We didn’t play our best cricket. USA, I thought they played pretty well. Obviously, this is a disappointment. It pretty much leaves us out of this competition. But for us, let’s move on to this game. Obviously playing against India in Ahmedabad with probably a massive crowd. So yeah, the guys have moved on and we’re looking forward to it.
(Reporter:)
I don’t know if you have played here before, how would you describe the experience and what does it mean for Dutch cricket to play a cricket match here against India with almost 70,000-80,000 people watching? And where does cricket stand among other sports in the Netherlands?
(Scott Edwards 🙂
Yeah, I think the first question, yeah, it’s obviously a huge opportunity. I think it’s the biggest stadium in the world. So playing against India in India in the biggest stadium is something that all the guys are really looking forward to. It’s a great opportunity to test yourself against the best. And the second part of that question, yes, I think cricket is growing in the Netherlands. Football is of course the main sport and we will probably never get to that level, but for us it is just to promote the game and hopefully our performances will help to grow the game in the Netherlands.
(Reporter:)
Scott, any concrete plans for the Indian batsmen? We have seen in the last few games that some Indian batsmen have had a tough time against the unorthodox spin. Don’t have a mystery spinner in your side but have specific plans?
(Scott Edwards 🙂
Yeah, we go into every game with different at-bat plans. Obviously there’s a lot of firepower in that Indian side, so we have our individual plans for guys and that’s what we’ll try to do.
(Reporter:)
You have played India once in a T20 and Sydney 2022. What lessons can you take from that match and apply in this match tomorrow? What can we expect from you tomorrow?
(Scott Edwards 🙂
Yeah, probably enough different names for both sides since that tournament. Maybe a few like that, but obviously the thing about playing against India is obviously the crowds and the exposure and things like that. So yeah, that’s something we’ve talked about as a group. But yes, it’s different conditions for us. So we are starting from the beginning and we want to perform well tomorrow.