The Dutch-language website Cricket Nederland has reported that former Scottish national coach Peter Drinnen (left in photo, talking with Dutch youth coach Roland Lefebvre) will be named as the new Dutch coach at Thursday evening’s general meeting of the KNCB.

Rumours about the impending appointment of Drinnen, who gave up the Scottish post in controversial circumstances last July, have been circulating in Dutch cricket circles for some time, but the KNCB has remained tight-lipped about the appointment procedure.

Even after the publication of the Cricket Nederland report, KNCB director Maarten Westermann refused to be drawn on whether it was correct.

‘The formal situation is that there is as yet no statement to make,’ Westermann said on Wednesday evening. ‘I have not seen the article in question, and I am not in a position to comment on it.’

The premature release of the news, assuming that the report proves to be correct, is the latest in an unfortunate series of events which has dogged the process from beginning to end.

Although the vacancy was created as early as April, when Peter Cantrell resigned, the permanant post was not advertised until the end of August, four days before the contract of caretaker coach Paul Jan Bakker expired.

Bakker was a candidate for the permanent job, and according to Cricket Nederland he is far from happy with the course of events. It is known that he had many supporters in the Dutch squad following his work with the team during the 2007 season.

The report also suggests that one consequence of the less than optimal management of the appointing process is that the KNCB Board member responsible for international affairs, Bart Lubbers, has resigned. Lubbers was chairman of the appointment committee, but the final phase of negotiations was reportedly handled by national team manager (and Lubbers’s predecessor on the Board) Rob Kemming.

There can be little doubt, however, that the 40-year-old Peter Drinnen will be a considerable catch for the KNCB should his appointment be confirmed.

He is thoroughly familiar with the Dutch national side after having coached Scotland for eighteen months, during which the Scots pulled off two desperately close victories in the 2006 European Championship and the World Cricket League before being comprehensively beaten by the Dutch in the World Cup.

The win in the WCL in Nairobi virtually assured Scotland of a lucrative spot in the first Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in November, but by the time that tournament took place a backstairs rebellion by senior members of the Scottish side had clearly made his position untenable. He was not the first Scottish coach to fall in this way: his predecessor Andy Moles had also been the victim of player unrest.

But there’s no doubting Drinnen’s commitment, enthusiasm and skill, and he is certain quickly to earn the respect of the Dutch squad.

His brief career as a player, with five Sheffield Shield matches and three List A games for Queensland, is closely interwoven with that of former Dutch coach Peter Cantrell. Not only were they in the same side on all but one of those occasions, but wicketkeeper Drinnen’s first catch in first-class cricket, to dismiss South Australian and Test opener Andrew Hilditch was off the bowling of … Cantrell. Drinnen made 74 in the first innings of that game, which proved to be his highest first-class score.

His knowledge of the game made a great contribution to Scotland's development, and the KNCB will doubtless be hoping that he can take his new charges to the 2011 World Cup.