After a week of work in the nets, the Dutch squad currently preparing for the World Cup in India had a tough return to match play in Mumbai on Sunday, losing to a DY Patil Sports Academy side by 57 runs.

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It is a measure of the depth of Indian cricket that the home side was without established names, although several of its players have some experience of first-class cricket or its one-day equivalent. The venue itself is remarkable enough: opened in 2007, the 55,000 seat stadium is a private initiative by the Patil family, but it has already hosted an ODI and a number of IPL matches involving the Mumbai Indians.

Peter Borren won the toss and invited the Patil Academy side to bat, a decision he may have begun to regret as openers Sumeet Meher and Shoaib Shaikh set off at a cracking pace against the bowling of Mudassar Bukhari and Berend Westdijk.

Borren’s reponse was to bring himself on as early as the sixth over, and he was immediately rewarded with the wickets of Meher, caught behind by Wesley Barresi, and then Shaikh, caught by Bukhari at third man.

That made it 44 for two, but it was to be the last Dutch success for almost 26 overs as Yogesh Pawar, who has played four Ranji Trophy matches for Maharashtra, and skipper Ashok Kadam put on 138 for the third wicket.

Pieter Seelaar eventually removed Kadam for 56, but Pawar continued on to complete a fine century before he was sixth out, giving Borren his third wicket, having made 107 from 104 deliveries with six fours and two sixes.

A flurry of wickets followed as the Indians attempted to force the pace off the spinners, Seelaar collecting a second wicket and Adeel Raja and Muhammad Kashif one apiece. Borren took two more to finish with five for 19, and the Academy side was all out for 252, two over short of their allotted 50.

The seam bowlers came in for some punishment early but came back well, with Bukhari the most economical with one for 35 from nine overs. There was also a useful first run in Dutch colours for Andrew Hoogstraten, who bowled five overs at a cost of 21.

In the absence of Ryan ten Doeschate, Tom Cooper and Eric Szwarczynski the Dutch needed their top order to perform well, but the loss of Alexei Kervezee in the first over was merely a prelude to a dramatic collapse, in which Tom Heggelman, Borren and Tom de Grooth all failed to score as the side slumped to 29 for four, three of the wickets falling to fast man Aditya Dole, another player with first-class experience with Maharashtra.

Wesley Barresi was standing firm at the other end, however, and when he was joined by Atse Buurman to two VRA men – rivals for the first-choice wicketkeeping position in the World Cup side – put together a valuable fifth-wicket stand, putting on 83 in 15 overs.

It was the off-spin combination of Dinesh Salunkhe and Pravin Tambe which finally secured the breakthrough, Salunkhe removing Buurman for 40 and then, three overs and two runs later, Tambe having Barresi stumped by Meher for a fine 62, including seven fours and a six.

Bukhari followed in the next over, and when Tambe removed first Raja and then Westdijk, the Dutch challenge appeared to be over with the total on 147 for nine.

But Seelaar and Hoogstraten had other ideas, and they proceeded to add another 48 in a bright last-wicket stand which lent some respectability to their side’s score. Dole finally returned to dismiss Seelaar for a well-made 36, with Hoogstraten remaining not out on 28.

Dole finished with four for 39, while Tambe and Salunkhe, the two off-spinners, took three for 21 and two for 34 respectively.

It was an invaluable work-out, and one which has no doubt given Peter Drinnen and his coaching team plenty to concentrate on in the days ahead.