Dutch in dreamland

Ryan ten Doeschate sweeps for six during the victory over Scotland

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Ryan ten Doeschate says his Dutch team-mates are in dreamland after they booked a place at next June's ICC World Twenty20.

The all-rounder, who plays county cricket for Essex, was man of the match as the Netherlands beat Kenya and Scotland, the second of which earned a place at the showpiece event which will be held in England.

Although he would miss Tuesday's final with Ireland due to his commitments with his county, ten Doeschate had already done the hard work.

"I am actually quite surprised by how delighted I am that we have qualified," the 28-year-old told ecb.co.uk.

"The guys are delighted. The atmosphere in the changing room after the game was magnificent. The only thing is that it's a whole year away - that's a hell of a long time away. It's a good thing for us to work towards."

While ten Doeschate is accustomed to playing in front of large crowds at some of the most famous grounds in the world through his time with Essex, he acknowledges that for the majority of his Netherlands team-mates next summer will be a step into the unknown.

"It's something the guys can only dream about," he added. "It will be one hell of an experience for them."

The Essex man was one of few batsman who looked comfortable batting on the Stormont wicket which was subjected to a number of downpours prior to and during the four day long tournament.

While most batsmen perished trying to whack the ball into Belfast city centre, ten Doeschate employed some old school tactics which resulted in a half-century against Kenya and a well-paced knock against Scotland which sealed a five-wicket win.

Ten Doeschate showed the importance of good running between the wickets

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"It might not be the best deck but batsmen are not approaching it the right way," he said.

"Maybe guys have been watching Australia or guys like Chris Gayle smash it all over the park. When you come to Stormont and the ball is doing a bit, if you swing at five balls and get a single off the sixth you might only get five an over - that's not good enough.

"You need a cool head to knock the ball around, run hard and pick up the twos. If you get one or two boundaries then suddenly you have a good score. It needed a bit of application on this wicket."

The World Twenty20 might be ten months away but it gives Netherlands time to glean a few tips from ten Doeschate on how to play the shortest form of the game.

"I have tried my best to make my experience rub off on the guys," he said. "There was a lot at stake here, a place at the World Cup. I don't think the guys have been exposed to that sort of pressure. Hopefully the guys have learnt something off me. Chasing that total down against Scotland, we showed some composure, so perhaps my experience helped."