Talking to the new Dutch national coach, Peter Drinnen, after his first group session with the national squad on Sunday, one can’t miss his enthusiasm, his commitment, and his thoughtful approach to one of the more challenging jobs in Associates cricket.

It’s early days, of course, and Drinnen is still in the first phase of coming to terms with what he’ll need to do over the next fifteen months. He’s just spent five days in The Netherlands, an exploratory trip while the legal formalities are being finalised.

‘The purpose of this visit,’ he says, ‘is to get to know the players. It’s all about fact-finding, and about listening to the players, how they see themselves, what their personal goals are, identifying target areas.

‘Then I can try to create a really clear plan, which will allow us to establish clear roles and tactics, so that we can find an approach which makes the most of our strengths.’

But doesn’t he already know something about his new charges, having prepared Scottish sides to play against them over the past couple of years?

‘As a coach I tend to concentrate more on my own side,’ he replies, ‘focusing on how we can improve our own skills and carry them out effectively in a match situation.

‘I’ve naturally done a certain amount of analysis of the opposition, but we don’t play each other often enough to make that the centre of the job. I know a bit about the Dutch players, but now I’ve got to start really getting to know them.’

Like most coaches, Drinnen is a strong believer in players’ responsibility for their own personal development.

‘It’s a coach’s job to provide resources and support, to identify areas for improvement. But it’s not the coach who has to get up at five to go to the gym, or put in the extra sessions to improve particular skills,’ he explains.

Throughout our discussion, we keep coming back to the problems of resources which affect all the Associate countries.

‘It’s important to build up a support team,’ says Drinnen, referring back with pride to the group of specialist coaches, trainers and physios which backed up his work with the Scottish squad. ‘But I know how tight the financial constraints can be.’

He is keen to draw on whatever support is available, including the club coaches from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and elsewhere whose skills have generally been under-utilised at national level in the past.

‘Apart from their possible contribution to skills development,’ he says, ‘players with experience at the top level can talk about tactics, about handling pressurised situations, about how you deal with a bowler with an extra yard of pace.

‘Experience gives reference points, things you can draw on when you find yourself playing in tough conditions. I firmly believe that ultimately the game is learned by playing the game.’

That leads us, naturally, to the question of the fixture list. The Netherlands’ main European rivals, Ireland and Scotland, play a lot more international cricket than they do.

‘Again, I recognise that we have to work within the limits of what’s financially possible,’ Drinnen concedes. ‘A coach will always say that we need more matches.

‘I obviously need to sit down with the administrators and work out what’s realistic. But it’s also my job to define the ultimate, and then to work back from there. Playing more games can only be good for development.’

Getting the Scottish A side into the English Minor Counties competition was something of a mission for Drinnen, and he’s evidently proud of having achieved it.

‘We won’t be able to do that here,’ he acknowledges, ‘but a good solid A-team fixture list, with matches played against good opposition in good conditions, and above all on good wickets, would give emerging players experience of different situations.

‘Young players need the chance to grow outside their own country, playing in Australia or South Africa, learning about the culture of cricket, developing toughness . . . learning the game.’

He’s also a firm believer in the vital importance of multi-day cricket, as in the Intercontinental Cup. ‘I’ve become more and more convinced of how crucial that is,’ he says. ‘Four-day cricket demands different skills and a different mindset, and exposes you to different scenarios, which helps you develop as a cricketer.

‘One-day cricket is often boring, because the possibilities are so limited. Real cricket is the long game.’

We finally reach the most difficult subject, his reflections on the events of last summer when he was forced to step down as Scottish national coach.

Drinnen is barred by his agreement with his former employers from talking directly about that crisis, but it’s pretty clear that he wouldn’t want to anyway. He demands from himself the same kind of honesty he expects from his players, which means looking in the mirror.

‘I am who I am,’ he declares. ‘I’m passionate about what I do, and I try always to be professional.

‘Over the past few months I’ve looked closely at how I do things and I’ve written a lot, which helps me get things into perspective. ‘I’ve had to review how, and when – and why – I communicate with people, and perhaps I need to be a little more reserved in how I express my views.

‘But I try to operate openly and honestly, and that isn’t going to change.’

Drinnen’s fifteen-month contract doesn’t give him long to mould his squad into a winning combination, a task which, as he points out, can take years.

But he’s excited about the challenge, and he has the skills to communicate that excitement to the players. He’s not above providing challenges of his own, and we will watch with interest how Dutch cricket responds.