The Dutch selectors have named a 23-man squad to prepare for next year’s World Cup in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and, looking further to the future, a group of another nine players in a ‘development squad’.

The only new name in the main squad is that of seamer Andrew Hoogstraten, a New Zealander now living in the Netherlands, who played for VOC Rotterdam this summer. Out through injury for most of the season, Hoogstraten took 12 wickets in eight matches once he regained fitness, and with plenty of experience with Bay of Plenty in New Zealand inter-district cricket, he could be a useful addition to the Dutch new ball attack.

The selectors have also included Mark Jonkman, currently suspended from international cricket, in their squad, and they are obviously hoping that the corrective programme he – and his twin brother Maurits, against who no official action has been taken – have embarked upon with Durham bowling coach Neil Killeen will enable them to play in the World Cup.

Like the Jonkmans, the remaining twenty players all appeared for the Orange Lions at some point during the season.

Also named is Hermes seamer Ruud Nijman, who missed the final phase of the international campaign after sustaining a broken hand in the Intercontinental Cup match against Zimbabwe in July. He recovered in time to play in his club's Topklasse semi-final, but has since suffered a further setback, receiving a broken jaw last week while at hockey practice.

There will be plenty of hard work ahead of the Netherlands-based members of the squad in the course of the autumn and winter, with a preparatory tour to Mumbai and Pune planned for 20 November-3 December.

An encouraging sign is the inclusion of six teenagers in the development squad. Two of them, Emile van den Burg and Vinoo Tewarie, played vital roles in VRA Amsterdam’s championship final victory over Excelsior ’20 last Saturday, while Sebastiaan Braat, Paul van Meekeren and Philip van den Brandeler were all regulars in their clubs’ Topklasse sides this season, and Dennis Coster was similarly a regular member of HBS Den Haag’s Hoofdklasse team.

There are also two left-handers, a rare commodity in Dutch cricket. Both Excelsior’s Rifaiz Bakas and ACC’s Steven de Bruin have been on the fringes of the national side for some time, and they will no doubt have noted with interest the progress made this season by Wesley Barresi and Wilfred Diepeveen, both of whom have taken advantage of the opportunities they have had in the full team.

There is a welcome return for Geert Maarten Mol, who had another solid season for Quick Haag.

The full squad is:
Wesley Barresi, Peter Borren (both VRA), Mudassar Bukhari (ACC), Atse Buurman, Tom Cooper (both VRA), Wilfred Diepeveen (Voorburg), Tom Heggelman (Excelsior ’20), Andrew Hoogstraten (VOC), Tom De Grooth, Mark Jonkman, Maurits Jonkman (all HCC), Muhammad Kashif (West of Scotland), Alexei Kervezee (Worcestershire), Bradley Kruger (Bradford/Leeds UCCE), Bernard Loots (HCC), Ruud Nijman (Hermes-DVS), Adeel Raja (VRA), Pieter Seelaar, Nick Statham (both Hermes-DVS), Eric Szwarczynski (VRA), Ryan ten Doeschate (Essex), Berend Westdijk (HBS) and Bas Zuiderent (VOC).

Development squad:
Sebastiaan Braat (Hermes-DVS), Vinoo Tewarie (VRA), Paul van Meekeren (Rood en Wit), Philip van den Brandeler (HCC), Rifaiz Bakas (Excelsior ’20), Steven De Bruin (ACC), Geert Maarten Mol (Quick Haag), Dennis Coster (HBS) and Emile Van Den Burg (VRA).