Netherlands surprise cricket fans with unique World Cup selection

A local delivery boy from India is having the time of his life after being picked as the Netherlands’ practice bowler for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

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The Netherlands confirmed its spot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 after finishing first in the qualification tournament in Zimbabwe this year.

They arrived in India to prepare for the tournament and invited applications for local talent, who could bowl for them in the practice sessions.

After reviewing 10,000 applications, they picked four bowlers, with food delivery boy Lokesh Kumar being one of the selected lots. They shared their biography on their social media application.

Thank you for the overwhelming response to our net bowlers hunt, India. Here the 4 names who will be part of the team’s #CWC23 preparations. 🙌 @ludimos pic.twitter.com/arLmtzICYH

— Cricket🏏Netherlands (@KNCBcricket) September 19, 2023

According to Cricket Netherlands, Lokesh Kumar – who hails from Chennai, Tamil Nadu – works at a food delivery company during the day for a living and is pursuing his dream of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

They added that the “mystery bowler” started as a pacer before transforming into a spinner.

He has already joined the Netherlands training camp.

Our first training session in India for the #CWC23 began with a small induction ceremony for our four new net bowlers from different parts of India. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ug0gHb73tn

— Cricket🏏Netherlands (@KNCBcricket) September 20, 2023

The Netherlands will start their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign on October 6, when they play against Pakistan. They will then collide with 2019 finalist New Zealand on October 9 and South Africa on October 17 respectively.

The side take on Sri Lanka on October 21, and Australia on October 25.

The Netherlands play Bangladesh on October 28. Their fixture against Afghanistan is scheduled to be played on November 3.

The side play defending champions England on November 8. Their final round-robin stage fixture is against hosts India on November 12.