True to their footballing cousins, the Dutch played total cricket, a brand that mixed equally the lusty slogs of the village blacksmith with subtler shots of the Pro cricketer, of which there are four in this side.
They also fielded and bowled with assured tenacity a combination, on a chilly evening, that proved too much for England, whose failed to convert their century opening stand into something less assailable than 162.
The Netherlands have only 5,000 cricketers and that includes the women who play the game, so this was a massive humiliation for England despite Twenty20's ability to make fools of the favourites, and despite the last ball finish.
The Dutch have beaten an England eleven before, in 1989, over a 40-over match played on matting at Amstelveen, a suburb of Amsterdam. I know, I was part of the team. On that occasion they relied heavily on the talents of Nolan Clarke, a more than handy batsman from Barbados.
Clarke made the bulk of their runs that day but there was no such reliance on overseas ringers at Lord's. True, Dirk Nannes, their *Dutch Aussie, was the most economic bowler, but otherwise the big performances were mostly homegrown.
The jubilation from the and their supporters was understandable. They used to be allowed to play in the Friends Provident Trophy, but were stopped from doing so when the England and Wales Cricket Board restructured the competition to allow Scotland and Ireland more games. Unsurpisingly, the move did not go down well with the Dutch, though this win provides sweet revenge with a Harvey Smith flourish.
Wins like this don't happen too the minnows that often in big competitions - Zimbabwe beat England in 1992 World Cup but it was a dead rubber - so one presumes they don't have not have the same draconian drinking rules as the Aussies. They didn't in 1989 but then nor did England.
England looked completely bereft afterwards though the mood was set earlier in the day when the opening ceremony was cancelled. The authorities here have a poor record when it comes to opening ceremonies for cricket tournaments in this country, with the 1999 World Cup a nadir.
On that occasion Tony Blair, who delivered the opening speech, watched in bemusement as a ten quid box of fireworks shrouded the ground in smoke, though at least England won the match.
Given the restrictions pressed upon Lord’s by the residents of St John’s Wood - no music to exceed 78 decibels and floodlight only to be used 12 times a year - there was some trepidation in official circles that the one planned for yesterday might exceed it. So what a stroke of genius to keep 1999 languishing in bottom place than to cancel their ceremony due to rain, a cornucopia of delights that was to mix the singing and dancing talents of Alesha Dixon and a welcome speech from the Duke of Kent.
This World Twenty20 is being played at three venues, Lord’s, the Oval and Trent Bridge. In the spirit of inclusiveness that the ICC claims as integral to its workings, the MCC have turned their library in the Pavilion into a prayer room, for all creeds and religions.
Sky didn’t have a camera on it so we couldn’t see who saw the need for guidance, though there were rumours Geoff Miller, England’s national selector nipped to ask if both Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen to be fit sharpish.
Big Freddie can't play in the World T20 but Pietersen can and has been given an injection to enable him to do so against Pakistan on Sunday. England need him badly to play the fancy shots everyone else seemed to get out to.
They need to win and win well, otherwise the spectre of 1999, when they were eliminated from the tournament before the World Cup song was released, will return once more.
*Figures!
- fans are losing interest imo. Decide on a format and stick with it.