The Dutch teacher Luuk van Troost
Captaining your country is demanding enough, without the added responsibility
of being a head teacher of a special-needs school and a father of three.
Luuk van Troost, the Holland captain, somehow manages all three contrasting
roles.
“I’ve been teaching kids with behavioural problems for ten years and, after
following some management studies, applied for the role as headmaster,” he
said.
Are there any similarities in teaching children and captaining 11 cricketers?
“Well, both of the jobs are management roles,” he said. “You need to know
how to handle some players or colleagues. In both jobs you have to take
unpopular decisions.”
Like most players from Associate Members, Van Troost is in love with cricket.
Combining a full-time job with captaincy is a task that weighs so heavily
that he might be forced to retire after the World Cup.
“It is very difficult,” he said. “To go on tour, I have to take unpaid relief.
But I love every minute.”
With retirements on the menu, attention turns to the next generation. Although
Ryan ten Doeschate, 26, and Alexei Kervezee, 17, are bright young lights,
Van Troost is incensed by the ECB’s decision to oust Holland from England’s
domestic one-day competition, amputating their main arm of publicity.
“I cannot understand why they let us out,” he said. “Ireland and Scotland are
getting a lot of experience and exposure out of those matches. We are as
strong, if not stronger, than them. Besides, Amsterdam is closer to London
than either Dublin or Glasgow. We really need the support from the ECB.”
Maybe a captain’s performance in the World Cup will alter their decision. Or
they’ll have a headmaster to deal with.
Holland squad: L van Troost, P Borren, D van Bunge, R ten Doeschate, M
Jonkman, M Kashif, A Kervezee, T de Leede, A Raja, D Reekers, E Schiferli, J
Smits, B Stelling, E Szwarczynski, B Zuiderent.
Odds: 1,0001.
The Bermudian policeman Dwayne Leverock
When Bermuda take to the field for their opening World Cup group clash against
Sri Lanka on Thursday it will be a dream come true for the tiny island of
60,000 after several years of ICC Intercontinental matches.
And the Bermudian dream is brought to life by Dwayne Leverock, their left-arm
spinner and one of cricket’s heavyweights in more ways than one: Leverock’s
19st frame has earned him wider acknowledgement after his starring role in
Bermuda’s warm-up game against England last week.
During the home side’s last-ball victory over England in a Cricket Legends
tournament last April, Leverock was seen going on a rumbling glory run with
each English victim. Every wicket is celebrated in this manner as he
seemingly pulls air in with his arms. Leverock, 35, said: “I’m just reining
them in, man, reining them in.”
He added: “In my whole cricketing career this is without doubt the most
important year of my life.”
Under the coaching of Gus Logie, the former West Indies batsman, Bermuda are
slowly finding their feet in the world arena. “For me it’s trying to take it
one ball at a time,” Leverock said. “I learnt from Lance Gibbs and he said
to take it one ball at a time, never see yourself two balls down the road.
In terms of learning, Ashley Giles and Abdul Qadir are the pioneers I have
looked up to in recent years.”
Although his wicket-taking exploits show a lighter side to Leverock, it’s his
profession on the island that could be the reason why his fellow squad
members look up to him — he is a policeman. “I have been with the force for
17 years and I am a constable,” he said. “My commissioners used to play
cricket and the deputy commissioner . . . she just loves the game. So when
we qualified for the World Cup they said just go and play cricket and do
what you have to do.”
Bermuda squad: I Romaine, D Minors, D Borden, L Cann, D Hemp, K Hurdle,
M Jones, S Kelly, D Leverock, S Mukuddem, S Outerbridge, O Pitcher, C Smith,
J Tucker, K Tucker.
Odds: 1,0001.
The Irish delivery driver Dave Langford-Smith
If Jamaica’s Sabina Park groundstaff find themselves with mechanical
difficulties during the Group D matches, they could do worse than call upon
Ireland’s opening bowler.
The 30-year-old New South Wales player, who has an Irish wife to thank for his
World Cup duties, has been working for a grass machinery company in Dublin
for the last two years. His daily chores include driving around Leinster in
a land cruiser and 16-foot trailer, collecting John Deere tractors that have
broken down.
Like his bowling, Langford-Smith has also put a lot of miles on the clock —
about 60,000 a year — while his lenient boss has given him three months off
in the build-up to the tournament. That he has been president of
Langford-Smith’s local side, Phoenix Park, may have something to do with
this agreement.
Being on the road for most of the year also leaves little time to be
recognised as an Ireland cricketer. Langford-Smith said: “Well, the only
time I am noticed is when I get home and our dog jumps on me. We aren’t very
high-profile over here and I don’t imagine it will change for a while.
However, the World Cup may change this and perhaps my neighbour’s dog might
recognise me.”
Last summer, the Sydney-born paceman took Ireland’s first ever one-day
international wicket against England and he rates the game as his best
moment to date. “We bowled, batted and fielded out of our skins,“ he said.
“To go down by 30-odd runs was such an achievement. Who knows, maybe in ten
years’ time we will be disappointed to lose to England.”
In the Caribbean, it is bowling to Brian Lara that Langford-Smith is looking
forward to most, while the luck of the draw means Ireland are also playing
on St Patrick’s Day. “I’m sure that there will be a huge buzz around the
ground,” he said. “Both Ireland and Pakistan wear the same, so it will be an
all-green day one way or another.”
Ireland squad: T Johnston, K McCallan, A Botha, J Bray, K Carroll, P
Gillespie, D Langford-Smith, J Mooney, P Mooney, E Morgan, K O’Brien, N
O’Brien, W Porterfield, B Rankin, A White.
Odds: 1,0001.
The Scottish graphic designer Glenn Rogers
There is a lot riding on Glenn Rogers’s performances in the Caribbean. Not
surprisingly, Scotland’s Australian-born left-arm spinner is “not looking
forward to going back home just yet”. The 29-year-old is seen as a pivotal
part of the team but he is wary that any success could also jeopardise his
career at one of the UK’s biggest packaging companies.
Rogers, who works as the firm’s graphic artist in Livingstone, has already had
an interesting journey at international level. He made his debut as a late
inclusion for the tour of Bangladesh late last year, before contracting
typhoid during the World Cricket League in Kenya. He has since been given
the all-clear but not before public health authorities in Barbados also
carried out tests.
However, it is juggling cricket and full-time work that has been the most
demanding aspect.
Being called up a week before the Bangladesh tour has meant that Rogers will
be at the negotiating table on a more regular basis.
“The hardest thing is to ask for more and more time off,” he admitted. “It
could put jeopardy on any promotion in the future so it really is a case of
trying to balance all these things.”
Nevertheless, his work colleagues have rallied behind him and although his
bosses will miss his services, Rogers’s Caribbean journey has seen a boost
in workplace morale.
“They have used it as a publicity tool and it has created a big buzz around
the factory,” he said. “I have been asked to send back reports to the
company every week and this will keep everyone updated on what I am doing.”
And if Scotland return home to a drunken heroes’ welcome, chances are that
Rogers will be handed a reminder of his job as soon as he steps off the
plane — he is responsible for the box design and labelling seen on many of
the country’s whisky bottles.
Scotland squad: C Wright, J Blain, D Brown, G Hamilton, M Haq, P Hoffmann,
D Lockhart, R Lyons, N McCallum, D Nel, N Poonia, G Rogers, C Smith, R
Watson, F Watts.
Odds: 1,0001.
The Canadian traffic warden George Codrington
Should any of the Canadian team be driving to Toronto after the World Cup —
most of them live in Ontario — George Codrington will no doubt give them
advance warning of parking problems. For the 40-year-old all-rounder has
recently qualified as a traffic warden. However, his cricket commitments
have meant that since starting in January he has spent just one week on the
streets.
“My bosses have been very understanding,” Codrington, who was born in
Barbados, said. “They realise this World Cup is a very special event for me
and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Canada were one of the first teams to arrive in the Caribbean and,
meteorologically speaking, have done it the hard way. Codrington left with
the team for the ICC World Cricket League in Kenya with Toronto’s
temperature at -10C (14F). A few days later, the mercury in Nairobi hit 40C
and some players fell ill. Codrington said that “the slog through the snow
to train indoors during the winter has all still been worth it”.
He realises that retirement from international cricket looms after this
tournament. If he carried on playing, it would affect his pension.
“You have to be realistic,” he said. “I have just started a new job and there
are financial burdens to consider.”
At least in his new job, he will not have to give up the game altogether: he
should be certain of getting a few outings with Toronto’s police authorities
XI.
Canada squad: J Davison, Q Ali, A Bagai, G Barnett, U Bhatti, I
Billcliff, D Chumney, G Codrington, A Codrington, A Cummins, S Dhaniram, A
Mulla, H Osinde, A Samad, K Sandher.
Odds: 1,0001.
The Kenyan businessman Ravi Shah
Which No 3 batsman runs a steel and pharmaceutical company, is considered one
of his country’s most gifted batsmen yet has played only 53 one-day matches
over ten years? It is a quiz question to stump the most studious of anoraks,
and the answer is Ravindu Shah, of Kenya.
Educated in the 1990s at the University of Kent, he was a prolific runscorer
in his youth before making his one-day international debut against
Bangladesh in 1998. Not until the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, however,
did his obvious talent translate into big runs. Fifties against South Africa
and Canada and 46 against India in the semi-final announced him to the world.
Since then, he has suffered a turbulent time, a serious knee injury in 2004
keeping him out for nearly two years. During that time, his business
interests grew.
“I set up Sarrchem [his company] in 1997 and have been running it ever since,”
he said. “The business brings about challenging situations, teaches the
importance of relationships and you have to be extremely positive. A little
bit of luck has helped, too. And it’s much the same with batting.”
Luck had nothing to do with the prolific run of form on his return in January,
however: scores of 54, his maiden one-day hundred and 48 in his first three
one-dayers illustrated the benefits a classy No 3 can bestow.
It is not all rosy. He and most of his teammates are amateurs in a
professional world; their jobs are a financial necessity. “Work and cricket
take up the entire day,” he said, “which unfortunately eats into the
personal and social life.” Naturally, his main ambition is to score a World
Cup hundred. If he does, it will be memorable for all who witness it.
Kenya squad: S Tikolo, T Odoyo, R Shah, T Mishra, C Obuya, P Ongondo, N
Odhiambo, M Ouma, M Patel, H Varaiya, D Obuya, R Bhudia, J Kamande, T Suji,
L Onyango.
Odds: 500-1.
