With the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 less than a week away, The Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond (KNCB) or the Netherland cricket board revealed on Monday (October 10) that South Africa's Gary Kirsten and Australia's Dan Christian will be a part of their coaching staff for the grand event.
Before flying to Australia, where Gary Kirsten is expected to join the team as a consultant, the Netherlands players trained at the Gary Kirsten Cricket Academy in Cape Town in late September.
Following the team's arrival in Australia, Christian joined them in Adelaide. Christian and Kirsten will both remain with the team for the duration of their T20 WC campaign.
"We are very excited to welcome both Gary Kirsten and Dan Christian to our coaching staff for the T20 WC. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table which will be of great help in the lead-up to and during the World Cup," Roland Lefebvre, high-performance manager at KNCB, stated.
Besides working closely with head coach Ryan Cook for many years, Kirsten previously worked with the Dutch team during the Super League series in Ireland in 2021.
SEE ALSO: ‘Gives license to the bowlers…’ Ashwin says boundaries are far bigger in Australia compared to India
He was the Indian coach when the Men in Blue won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011. Since then, his coaching credentials have only gotten stronger thanks to admirable stints with South Africa and the Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2022.
"I really enjoyed working with the Dutch Team in Cape Town and I look forward to joining them as a consultant in the T20 WC. I was impressed with the level of skill and professionalism during the camp. They will be ready and determined to make an big impact at the T20 WC." Kirsten said about his latest coaching stint.
With 393 matches under his belt, Dan Christian is a veteran T20 player who has participated in multiple T20 WC campaigns for Australia. He also served as a traveling reserve for 2021 T20 WC in the UAE.
He also holds the record for the most Big Bash League (BBL) appearances, so he has a vast amount of experience and is well-versed in the conditions down under.
"I've had a great couple of weeks getting to know the guys, and I've been extremely impressed with everyone's work ethic at practice. I'm looking forward to seeing them have some well-deserved success on the field." Christian remarked.
The Netherlands are grouped alongside the UAE, Namibia and Sri Lanka in Group A of the first round of the T20 WC. They will play their first game on October 16 against the UAE, followed by matches against Namibia and Sri Lanka on October 18 and 20, respectively.
(CRICBUZZ INPUTS)
