'Sri Lanka will have a hard time beating all three of us in Group A' – Netherlands Captain

Group A’s fascinating balance offers plenty of qualification hope for Ireland and Netherlands as they prepare for their opening World Cup fixture in Abu Dhabi.

Both teams are talking a good game, and their aspirations of making it into the second stage of the tournament are highly achievable, with each squad containing more than enough to trouble pool favourites Sri Lanka and fellow Group A hopefuls Namibia.

Opportunity beckons for both Ireland and the Netherlands. But, helpfully, it does so without the weight of outward expectation. As Dutch captain Pieter Seelaar put it: “Sri Lanka need to go through; we want to go through. That’s the difference.”

“There’s no clear favourite and no weak side [in Group A]. I wouldn’t say Sri Lanka is going to go through, they are going to have a hard time beating all three of us” he added .