Netherlands temper ambitions in face of million-dollar budget shortfall

Austerity is the word of the day in Dutch cricket.

Long-rumbling rumours of financial troubles at the KNCB (Royal Netherlands Cricket Board) were recently and thoroughly vindicated with the publication of a draft budget for 2025, which outlined stringent cuts in the face of a seven-figure budget shortfall. The document confirmed the worst fears of Dutch cricket-watchers, while leaving the wider world puzzling over what has gone wrong for the Netherlands, whose on-field successes and growing global profile has seen many tip them as the game's next success story.

While the Dutch are no stranger to tough financial choices, often