Dubai, UAE (September 26, 2023) – Dutch all-rounder Bas de Leede is only 23 years old, but he has already shot into the limelight, as a promising young player, who can single-handedly win matches for his team. In July, he became one of only four players in One-Day International history to score a hundred and take five wickets in a match. That effort led the Netherlands to World Cup qualification, through victory over Scotland in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.
De Leede is one of Desert Vipers’ exciting new signings for season two of the DP World ILT20, and speaking to the Vipers Voices podcast he recalled that match against Scotland and his memories from the day: “Most of my memories are from after the game, as we had some nice team celebrations which I will remember for a very long time,” he said.
“In the second innings when we had lost a couple of wickets and we were under pressure to chase down the target in a certain number of overs (to qualify), Saqib Zulfiqar came in and we just had a lot of fun batting together. It took the pressure off and it is something I will remember that for a long time.”
Bas de Leede believes Netherlands’ qualification, and his own development as a player, can be attributed to the ICC World Cup Super League (WCSL), which has been instrumental in pushing the Dutch forward at a rapid rate.
When asked if the Netherlands would be playing in the ICC Cricket World Cup without the WCSL, de Leede was unequivocal. “No,” he said, before adding: “I think the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League has given the Netherlands so much.
“As a group of young, inexperienced players, to get the opportunity to play eight top-tier teams was amazing for our development and the confidence and learning we took from those games were massive, and that played a massive role in our qualifying for India,” de Leede said.
In fact, all of 2023 has been an extraordinary year for de Leede, who started with playing amongst legends with the MI Emirates team at the DP World ILT20, followed by his pivotal role in helping Netherlands to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup for the first time since 2011.
There has also been the matter of his first English county cricket contract with Durham, under former Netherlands Head Coach Ryan Campbell, with the team enjoying a fantastic run to secure promotion to the first division of the first-class game. And on top of that came a place in the Northern Superchargers squad for the men’s Hundred tournament in the United Kingdom.
Next up is the ICC Cricket World Cup in India, where de Leede is hoping his team can make a mark.
“As the Dutch team, we have played some good cricket over the last year-and-a-half and if we continue playing that way and we play our best cricket I reckon we have the chance to win games,” he said.
“But like cricket is, it takes one brilliant performance from the team you are facing, or it takes one bad performance to lose a game. It is a tough one, but I am really looking forward to going out there, showing everyone what we can do and how far we have come as a group, and hopefully win some games.”
Here are some thoughts from Bas de Leede on his recruitment to the Desert Vipers, the opportunity to work with some of the best players and coaches from around the world, and his hopes and expectations from the busy playing months that lie ahead:
On how the move from MI Emirates to Desert Vipers came about:
“During the (ICC Cricket World Cup) Qualifiers I heard I was not going to be retained by MI Emirates, which was disappointing at the time, but I knew there was some interest from other teams to sign me and then speaking to my agent, Desert Vipers was really high on the list.
“I am really glad to have joined this team and to be working with James Foster and Neil McKenzie, who I have been working with at the Northern Superchargers (in The Hundred) as well.
On the ILT20 experience with MI Emirates:
“It was my first franchise tournament; I was kind of nervous. What I saw was a very high standard of cricket, I think all the teams were very competitive even if it was the first season for everyone. I did not play too much, but to have still learnt all that I did was very valuable for me and something that I am hopefully going to take into my cricket career in the future. It was amazing to be a part of it and I am very much looking forward to being a part of the next one as well.”
On sharing the dressing room at MI Emirates with Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult, Dwayne Bravo, and other legends of the game:
“If someone would have said to me a year ago that I would have been in that position, I would not have believed it. Certainly for me it was an opportunity to learn, and I tried to make the most of it, speaking to those guys, about how they go about their cricket and what they work on. They might be legends of the game, but they still are trying to improve and that was a cool thing to learn about for me.
“I think in the end the Desert Vipers and the Gulf Giants were probably the strongest teams in the tournament and they deserved to be in the finals. But once you get there anything can happen, and it was tough to predict things last year.”
On playing county cricket (for Durham), and how much of a learning curve it was:
“It was a massive learning curve, and for me personally, not having played much red ball cricket in my career, it has been a nice challenge to try and adapt my game to the longer format. Batting and bowling, and obviously playing in the T20 Blast has also been an incredible experience for me as well. The level of cricket there is so high, I have really enjoyed my first year and I am looking forward to next year as well.”
On the experience of working under Desert Vipers Head Coach James Foster and batting coach Neil McKenzie at the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred:
“It was really cool. Unfortunately I didn’t get to play a game, which was a shame, but we trained a lot, and the group was awesome to be around.
“To link up with James and Neil was amazing. I think in franchise cricket you have a lot of different coaches and as a player it might be hard to work on your game while you are playing in a franchise or a tournament. And I think to have been with James and Neil at The Hundred and now at the Desert Vipers is massive for my development and hopefully the continuity of the coaching is going to help me as well.”
On working alongside Adam Hose at the Northern Superchargers and now in the ILT20 in the Desert Vipers squad.
“I saw him a week after the draft and we both met at the gym and then I got to know him, and he is a really nice guy and I look forward to spending more time with him in the UAE.”
On Scotland batter Michael Jones, a teammate at Durham, and soon to be a teammate at the Desert Vipers:
“Personality-wise he is a really nice and kind guy, and he will get along with everyone. As a cricketer he is a very versatile player. He is an opening batter and plays the longer format well, and I have seen him play some proper knocks in T20 cricket as well, making use of that powerplay and he really hits the ball hard. So, as a fellow Associate cricket player, I am really excited to see how he goes.”
On the prospect of playing alongside some big names from Pakistan, including Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan:
“These guys have so much experience playing, and they understand the game so well. It is going to be a treat to train with them and hopefully play a couple of games with them. Hopefully I will get the chance to speak with some of them at the World Cup (in India), which will be nice.”
On his role at the Desert Vipers, and where he sees his ideal batting position and bowling duties:
“There is always going to be a difference in what I would want and what the coaches see me as. I have worked a lot playing that finisher role for the team, coming in later near the end, and trying to close out the innings with a couple of maximums which I have really enjoyed.
“Hopefully I can continue doing that for the Vipers, and with the ball, we have got so much talent in the pace department, so if I can be in and around there and bowl a couple of overs in the middle or close out at the death, that is where I would see myself play best.”
On the opportunity of working with Azhar Mahmood, the Desert Vipers seam bowling coach:
“This is why these tournaments are so good because you have views from guys who have not just coached at this tournament but in so many other tournaments and they have so much experience from their playing career. A guy like Azhar Mahmood is someone who has been there and done that. So, from the bowling side of things, he is going to be a really great guy to work with.”
On being contacted by the Director of Cricket Tom Moody and Head Coach James Foster after being drafted into the team:
“They have sent me messages, and James (Foster) was around during The Hundred (as Head Coach of Northern Superchargers) and Tom (Moody) was at the Oval Invincibles, and I would see them here and there. They sent me messages after we got promoted with Durham and after my knock in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers.”
On the Desert Vipers squad having a number of talented all-rounders, including Shadab Khan, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ali Naseer, Rohan Mustafa and Tom Curran:
“You can never have enough all-rounders in a squad as they can help you in the bowling and batting departments. Yes, it seems like a very strong all-round squad, and we have all the bases covered.
“A guy like Tom Curran is someone I am looking forward to being around and learning from his experience. But also, I am looking forward to training with Ali Naseer the young UAE guy and Rohan Mustafa; after playing against them a lot of times it will be nice (to be on the same side).”
On having a lot of UAE experience, and also having played for the MI Emirates in season one of the ILT20:
“I have always enjoyed playing in the UAE, especially when the sun sets, and it is not quite as hot. Obviously, having played a lot of bilateral series and also the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2021, I kind of know the conditions, and I love playing there.”
The second edition of the ILT20 is scheduled to start in January 2024. The Desert Vipers finished as runners-up in the inaugural edition of the tournament in January and February 2023.
Among the players the Desert Vipers have retained from that first edition are English opening batter Alex Hales, who scored the competition’s first-ever individual hundred and finished as its leading run-scorer, and Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sri Lanka wrist-spinner, the top wicket-taker in the past two editions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
