During Bangladesh’s tour of India four years ago, fielding coach Ryan Cook posed for a picture at the exact place in Kolkata’s Eden Gardens where his father, Jimmy Cook, and Andrew Hudson were photographed as they went out to face the first ball for South Africa in the first ODI against India, back in 1991.
It was South Africa’s first-ever ODI and its first official international game after being banned from cricket because of apartheid in 1970. On his latest tour, Cook is hoping to make some history on his own, as the coach of the Netherlands, the only Associate nation to make it to the World Cup.
That the Dutchmen have qualified is an achievement in itself, after finishing ahead of three Test-playing nations – Zimbabwe, West Indies and Ireland.
