Recently-retired Dutch international Tim de Leede will be honoured this Saturday with a match between a team of former international colleagues and a side largely comprising Hoofdklasse coaches. The game will be played at HCC’s ground, De Diepput, starting at 14:00.

De Leede played for his country more than 200 times between 1990 and this year, taking part in three World Cups, five ICC Trophy tournaments, and playing a total of 29 full ODIs. He is The Netherlands’ leading wicket-taker in ODIs with 29 wickets at 34.44.

The Dutch Internationals XI will be captained by Jeroen Smits, and has been selected to bring together players from all phases of de Leede’s international career. Apart from de Leede himself, it will include Roland Lefebvre, who played alongside de Leede in the 1996 World Cup, Zulfiqar Ahmed, Asim Khan and Steven van Dijk (who took part in the 1997 ICC Trophy in Malaysia), Robert van Oosterom and Reinout Scholte (from the 2001 ICC Trophy-winning side in Canada), Jacob-Jan Esmeijer (2003 World Cup), Luuk van Troost (2007 World Cup), and the current internationals Peter Borren, Darron Reekers and Bas Zuiderent.

Eight Hoofdklasse coaches will form the nucleus of the opposition: Australians Sean Clingeleffer (Quick Haag), Shane Deitz (HCC), Xavier Doherty (VOC), Ryan Le Loux (Voorburg), and Chris Slattery (ACC); Indian Pankaj Joshi (Hermes); Pakistani Mohammed Hafeez (VVV); and South African Ryan Maron (VRA). HCC’s Second XI coach Stephanus Myburgh will also be involved, with the rest of the names still being filled in.

Smits, who has been organising the event, is determined to make the match a suitable recognition of de Leede’s long and distinguished career, and hopes that it will attract a large crowd. Few Dutch cricketers have deserved it more.