World Cup: England have Champions Trophy qualification to play for, says De Leede

PUNE: : Netherlands allrounder Bas de Leede and his team have had a memorable World Cup so far. But de Leede, 23, feels The Netherlands can certainly make it their best event if they manage to win their last two games. The Netherlands are playing England here on Wednesday and India in their last game in Bengaluru on Sunday.

The right-handed pacer knows it won’t be easy for them, but not impossible either. He said his team has the belief of beating a side like England but doesn’t discount the fact that England have a lot riding on their two remaining clashes, especially the Champions Trophy qualification, and that makes them more dangerous.

“We’re going to try and win the game. Obviously, England haven’t had the best of tournaments. I think they were expecting, and a lot of people, were expecting more from them. But I think they’re still a dangerous side. They’ve got Champions Trophy qualification (2025) to play for. So, they’ll be looking at that and seeing it as an opportunity to win against us and qualify for that. I’m sure they’ll be hungry to prove some people wrong and try and finish their tournament on a high note,” de Leede told TOI in an exclusive chat at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Monday.

The top eight teams in the World Cup will qualify for the Champions Trophy 2025 to be held in Pakistan. England, now, are placed 10th, while the Netherlands are 8th.

The Dutch have won two games, including a big win over South Africa, from the seven matches they have played so far. De Leede has taken 11 wickets and has scored around 120 runs; however, he also became the most expensive bowler in the history of ODI cricket after conceding 115 against Australia. He laughs it out.

“I’m not too fussed about it. I don’t really care about records, whether they’re positive or negative. There’s a lot to learn from bowling to someone like Glenn Maxwell at his absolute peak,” he said. De Leede had mixed feelings about the format of this World Cup. This edition of the World Cup, like England in 2019, has a format where all teams play against each other, unlike earlier, when teams used to compete in groups of four or five.

“I think the format is great because we don’t get the chance to play against every team that often In terms of exposure for us and playing against good teams, it’s great. But then it’s a disappointing format where if a team slips up like us beating South Africa, I don’t think it has any real consequences, which I would love to see in a pool of four,” said de Leede.