England was defeated by the Netherlands in the opening match of the 2009 ICC World T20 in what turned out to be the upset of the tournament.
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In cricket, when a small nation defeats a big established power, there is plenty of excitement among fans. When Sri Lanka beat India in 1979, the cricketing world was stunned. Zimbabwe overcame the mighty Australians in 1983 while Sri Lanka suffered a defeat to Kenya in 2003. Ireland became the darling of the cricket world when they knocked Pakistan out in the first round of the 2007 ICC World Cup. They would repeat the feat against England in 2011.
However, England would suffer the ultimate humiliation in the 2009 ICC World T20. The fact that it occurred in the home of cricket at Lord’s only added to the anguish. The opening match of the 2009 ICC World T20 saw England taking on the Netherlands at Lord’s. On June 5, 2009, Lord’s was painted Orange as the Netherlands secured one of the greatest wins in their history.
The Netherlands opted to field at Lord’s but they started off poorly. Luke Wright and Ravi Bopara started brilliantly, with Wright scoring a fifty off 37 balls. Bopara was also in fine form as they shared an opening partnership of 102. However, when Ryan ten Doeschate removed Bopara for 49, the Netherlands registered a fightback.
The next eight overs saw only 56 runs scored by England. Eoin Morgan struggled and went cheaply. Wright smashed two fours off Pietar Seelar but when ten Doeschate dismissed him for 71, England stuttered. In the next 16 balls, Netherlands did not concede a single boundary. England ended up on 162/5.
Netherlands started poorly when they lost Alexei Kervezee in the first over to James Anderson. Darron Reekes struck a couple of sixes but he too fell quickly in the quest for quick runs. Tom de Grooth and Bas Zuiderent shared a solid partnership. However, Netherlands did not string a big partnership as they kept losing wickets.
Peter Borren and de Grooth shared a 50-run partnership as England continued to feel the pressure. But, when Anderson, Adil Rashid kept taking wickets at big moments, the match was evenly poised.
Ten Doeschate struck some crucial boundaries as the Netherlands needed seven runs in the final over. The match was become increasingly tense as Stuart Broad stepped up to bowl. The Netherlands were on the cusp of a famous win. The third ball saw Stuart Broad drop a simple catch but Netherlands needed two runs off the last ball.
Broad bowled the final ball to Edgar Schiferli. The ball was angled in on the middle and leg stump. Schiferli aimed to slog it to the leg side but got a bottom edge. They scampered for a quick single. However, Broad got to the ball and had all three stumps to aim at. Had he hit, England would have won by one run. However, Broad missed and it resulted in overthrows. Schiferli came back for the second and Netherlands secured one of the most famous wins in their history.
After the match, Borren said the Netherlands had tremendous self-belief. “Before the match, we talked about the fact that we thought England were vulnerable, and we believed we had a chance, but I’m not sure if anyone really believed we could do this. We went down to breakfast this morning and everyone’s still smiling. It simply doesn’t get better than this. To be sitting in the changing room, the Lord’s dressing room, having beaten England… it’s just fantastic,” Dutch skipper Peter Borren told ESPNCricinfo.
Borren said England took them lightly. “If I’m being honest, I thought England had a bit of a shocker. They’ve taken us too lightly. To sit there after the game and say they were surprised we played so well… well, we can play cricket as well,” Borren said.
However, the win at Lord’s represented the only high point for the Netherlands. They were thrashed by Pakistan and England recovered to beat Pakistan and progress to the next round. But, for one day, cricket displaced football as the No.1 sport in Holland.
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