Sports Desk:

The Netherlands cricket team is touring Bangladesh for the first time for a bilateral series but they have a sweet memory to recall regarding the Sylhet International Cricket Ground (SICS). Back in the 2014 T20 World Cup, the Dutch had chased down 190 against Ireland in just 13.5 overs to seal their place in the Super 10 stage at this very ground.

That was a breathtaking effort from the Dutch, who had to win the match in 14.2 overs. Almost impossible, they made it look so easy and scored 193/4 in 13.5 overs thanks to proper clean hitting by Stephan Myburgh (63 off 23 balls), Wesley Barresi (40 off 22 balls) and Tom Cooper (45 off 15 balls).

Current skipper Scott Edwards wasn’t a part of that squad but Edwards feels Sylhet ground holds a special place in Dutch cricket history.

“I wasn’t playing then, but some guys were around. It was obviously a special match in Dutch history. There’s a bit of history around this ground,” Edwards said when asked about memories regarding that historic match.

Edwards was asked whether the visitors would take some inspiration from that match in the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh.

“That was 11 years ago. Not so much, but this ground holds a special place,” he answered.