Islamabad, 16 November 2022 (TDI): The T20 World Cup is over; Pakistan could not bring home the trophy, but they made many wonderful memories. One of these is the Pakistani team bonding with the Dutch cricket squad and People-to-People (P2P) relations.
The Netherlands’ embassy in Pakistan, by backing Pakistan throughout the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup, became an excellent example of Cricket diplomacy and P2P diplomacy.
The Embassy announced today that this year had seen the forging of true cricket friendships between Pakistan and the Netherlands.
In addition to the ODI series, the Netherlands assisted Pakistan in reaching the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinals.
The embassy also mentioned that numerous Dutch cricket players have committed to the Official Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023.
As per reports, 15 players from the Netherlands have signed up for the PSL, which begins on February 9.
Also Read: Master of P2P diplomacy- British Ambassador Christian Turner
Friendly Exchange in T20 World Cup
The Bromance between the two sides mainly started when on November 6, the Netherlands cricket team won over the South Africa cricket team in their last Super 12 match, which helped Pakistan qualify for the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinals with the condition that Babar Azam’s team must beat Bangladesh.
On the other side, the Dutch team relied on Pakistan’s victory over Shakib’s Team to finish fourth in Group 2 and automatically qualify for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
For this reason, a Netherlands player said to Pakistani Captain Babar Azam as he entered the ground, “Hey, make sure you win, then we finish fourth.” The clip spread like wildfire.
Thanks to the Netherlands, Pakistan entered the semifinals, and thanks to Pakistan, for guaranteeing Netherlands’ place in the next T20 World Cup.
On the one hand, the Netherlands’ Embassy praised Team Green for their outstanding performance, but on the other, they praised the Netherlands for assisting Pakistan in reaching the semifinals.
Also read: EU ambassador supports Pakistani team in T20I semifinals
Netherlands Support to Pakistan in Final
The Support from the Netherlands did not stop after qualifying for the next T20 World Cup. They were also on Pakistan’s side in the final, which was held on November 13.
On Pakistan’s win over New Zealand in Semifinal, the Netherlands embassy in Islamabad tweeted, “Congratulations Team Pakistan, for reaching the T20 World Cup final!”
Henny de Vries, Dutch ambassador-designate to Pakistan, also wished Pakistan for the finals while wearing the Pakistani Team’s jersey.
Haris Rauf’s message to De Leede
Haris Rauf, the Pakistani fast bowler, delivered a short ball that Dutch cricket player Bas De Leede received on the helmet during the sixth Dutch inning’s fifth ball.
Pakistani Cricketer Shan Massod, who arrived first, removed Dutch Batsman’s helmet to view the cut, while the Pakistani cricketers immediately came over to see the condition of De Leede.
He needed to leave the Ground since he had a little cut on his cheek, and Logan van Beek played in his replacement.
De Leede’s injury was discussed with him after the game by Haris Rauf, who also gave De Leede a hug and assured him that he would recover and come back stronger.
