Can the West Indies shine bright away from the Caribbean sun here in the Netherlands?

For a team that had actually lost its ODI status back in 2014 to finally regaining it four years hence as it played an ODI in 2018 (vs Nepal), the Netherlands have- well and truly speaking- experienced a whirlwind 50-over journey in the past decade or so.

And while bouncing back through to the top in the ICC World Cricket League Championship meant returning to top gear, one can’t say that the Dutch are an exceedingly happy lot in the present.

Given they lost the ODI series to Afghanistan (3-nil) in January of 2022, only to follow it up with a rout in the hands of the Kiwis (2022), the Netherlands may well be a dejected lot, but also one that’s perhaps aware of the unpredictable reputation of the side it is hosting in the next few hours.

The West Indies, on their part, haven’t played their ODI cricket like magicians either; they stumbled to perhaps the most embarrassing moment in their 50-over history earlier this year when Ireland, of all teams, hammered them and that too, in the Caribbean.

They’d travel to India for a proper white-ball series and find themselves defeated in both the outcome of the series as well as in spirit.

In that series, they had the likes of Pollard, Hope, Holder, Pooran, Joseph and players like Mayers.

And while they no longer have the luxury of a Holder anymore, the Bajan rested for a reason unclear to most; there’s no Pollard either and will not be in the times to come given the Trinidadian’s sudden retirement from West Indian duties.

This clearly means a team that has Powell, Pooran, Hope and Mayers will try to extract some meaning and purpose in the forthcoming 3 ODI series, whose outcome, factually speaking, may tilt in just about anyone’s favour.

Remember, the Dutch may surely have seen the West Indians on TV and perhaps even in live games, but there’s a very minute possibility of a full-fledged West Indian side ever hanging out long enough in any cricket stadia anywhere to simply watch the European team play live.

Isn’t it?

This simply puts forth the question as to whom might the ODIs gravitate towards the Windies, starting their new era under Nicholas Pooran or Pieter Seelaar, the captain of an enterprising lot that is known to play a committed brand of cricket, regardless of the eventual outcome?

Nonetheless, let us wait for time to give us the answers we so keenly seek.

Until then, let’s dive into the things that could decide the fate of the series or as they say, facets to look forward to?

Can The Netherlands revive their recent woeful ODI form? 

The Pieter Seelaar-led side suffered whitewashes against Afghanistan in the three ODI series in January of 2019, only to suffer a similar fate, but this time against New Zealand.

Though, what mustn’t be forgotten is that in both those series defeats, the Netherlands side were travellers. This time around, as they welcome the West Indians, they play at home.

Time for a rebound, then and hence, a return to some ODI form at least?

What’ll be most important from a Dutch perspective is that they will field a balanced side that boasts of promising names.

There’s their keeper Scott Edwards, the Australian-Dutch cricketer most remembered for his promising 86 against Afghanistan in what was then the second ODI of the series.

The 25-year-old with 42 international catches has made his 379 ODI runs at a strike rate north of 75 and will be looking to have a good go against a Windies line-up that’ll seem like a fresh new chance for him.

Then there’s Bas de Leede, their staple number four, who’ll want to score a few. Although the 22-year-old was a shining star during his Under-19 days, he hasn’t quite made fluent beginnings in ODIs as yet.

The likes of Fred Klaassen, 25 ODI wickets from just 13 games, and Logan van Beek, the energetic right-arm medium pacer who’s picked 14 wickets from 8 ODIs already, will likely offer their best support possible to Pieter Seelaar, already a legend of the Dutch cricket establishment.

There’ll be a lot of expectations from someone like Clayton Floyd, who bowls in ODIs with an economy of under 4 and can puzzle even the well-set bats with his slow left-arm orthodox spin.

Can a young lot catch the Windies squad napping?

Can Pieter Seelaar bring his A game to the fold? 

The experienced figurehead of Dutch Cricket, who leads a talented side with much gusto, first burst onto the attention of mainstream cricket viewers back in June of 2009.

That’s when playing against England and that too, in the T20 world cup, Seelaar took the prized wicket of Paul Collingwood.

There was a great sense of occasion to the dismissal in that Collingwood was the English leader. Moreover, the Dutch won that game. Something they’d quite like to do under the able guidance of Pieter Seelaar in this West Indies ODI series.

With his clever, slow left-arm orthodox spinners, Seelaar may just upset the rhythm of big hitters- think Mayers, Powell and who knows, Hope or Pooran even.

Though, the latter two are the finest players of spin from the current Windies squad.

But Seelaar would, on his part, try to bring the experience of having claimed 55 ODI wickets (53 ODIs) into play. And while he may not be a huge turner of the ball, his ability to cramp batsmen for room and keep a tight lid on the scoring could well play its part in the games that are to happen.

How will Pooran perform in his first series as captain?  

A new dawn in Windies cricket is all set to begin in just a few hours’ time. And we shall hopefully see, the young and raring Windies squad applying itself, something it tends to not do all that well as the well-established culture of simply playing a bashful brand of cricket has somewhere hurt the Windies ODI fortunes.

Can that change under Pooran’s leadership? More importantly, can Pooran offer poise to a set-up known for playing rather capriciously?

Can his effective technique to handle spin well and the practice of setting his eye in before going for the big heaves and muscular strikes rub off on the others around him?

The Pollards, Gayles, and Sammy’s have been heroes in their own right but not masters of playing spin.

In the trinity of Musa Ahmed, Seelaar himself and Floyd, the blokes from The Netherlands, will try to test the Windies’ aptitude when it comes to handling turn and guile.

We’ve seen how easily their stumps have been uprooted in the very failure to read the line of the delivery, something Hope and Pooran and these names will try to improve.

Pooran, on his own part, will definitely look to bring in the confidence of what was a very productive outing against India in India earlier this year.

Rovman Powell must step up his game 

The ODI series against the Dutch gives a fine opportunity for someone like Rovman Powell to get his eye in and perhaps become a staple pick when it comes to the Windies’ 50-over duties.

He’s, thus far, been recognized and identified as a big destructor in the game’s briefest format.

Yet, what we tend to conveniently neglect and unreasonably so, is that when it mattered most for the West Indies during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, then it was Powell who hammered a fine century in the must-win contest versus the Irish.

Why?

Because West Indies had to capitalize in every single game or else stay home and miss the ride to England for ODI cricket’s finest fiesta.

His 100-ball-101 left a few window panes shattered.

But you’d be silly to think that Rovman’s game only features the big blows; we recently saw him ticking around for the 1s and 2s and even 3s in the IPL 2022, improving his game against spin.

Yet, it’s that very glittery and envy-inspiring ability to pound flat sixes that likens him to a bowler dismantling monster that so many of us like him for.

Now’s a chance for him to hang out for long enough and contribute meaningfully- right?

Can the West Indies actually affect an ODI whitewash? 

To put it simply, the West Indies, who’d be wise enough to not take the ODIs any lightly, start as favourites.

No rocket science theory. They have players like Pooran, Powell, Mayers, Bonner, Joseph, and Hayden Walsh.

But this contest should present an ideal opportunity for them to bag all of the three games and script a whitewash over the Dutch.

The last time they did so to an ODI side was back in March of 2021. When they whitewashed Sri Lanka, winning all games by 5 wickets, 5 wickets and 8 wickets, respectively.

Previously, a year back, circa 2020, they’d also whitewash the Irish 3-0 in the Caribbean. 

Both those series triumphs came on home soil; it must not be forgotten.