At just 25, Noah Croes is already being spoken of as the next leader of Dutch cricket. Born in Amsterdam but raised in Melbourne, the wicketkeeper-batter straddling two cricketing cultures, is now carving his own path in Oranje. His calm but ambitious vision makes him stand out as more than just a promising young player. As the Netherlands tour Bangladesh in preparation for next year’s T20 World Cup, Croes talked with Daily Sun’s Tanvir Ahmed Pranto to talk about his journey from backyard cricket in Australia to wearing the orange of his birthplace, the lessons he’s drawing from international cricket, and how he hopes to help shape the future of Dutch cricket — both on and off the field. Here are the excerpts:
 

Daily Sun: You were born in Amsterdam and grew up in Melbourne, when did cricket first become a part of your life? How did those two cultures shape you as a person and as a cricketer? 
Noah Croes: It's a good question. I was very lucky enough to grow up in Melbourne and Australia is obviously a big cricketing culture. So I sort of grew up around backyard cricket, and I was thinking about before the game yesterday (Monday) about my Milo Cricket days, and how I first picked up the bat to play with mates, and that's where the joy came from. I guess I was lucky in that sense, coming from that culture. But my dad's a Dutch and I was born in Holland, so we always knew that the two could amalgamate which is really cool and seeing the guys playing the T20 World Cup in 2014 in Bangladesh and chase down that massive total (against Ireland), I watched that match with my dad even though he is not a big cricket fan. But I always knew that could be my dream and could be me one day. It’s just so beautiful to live that dream of playing in Oranje and play for the country I was born in. I really feel aligned with being half Dutch and half Australian.

It’s just so beautiful to live that dream of playing in Oranje and play for the country I was born in. I really feel aligned with being half Dutch and half Australian.

Daily Sun: Who were your earliest role models?
Noah: Back in the days, there were really big names in the Dutch team. Wesley Barresi, I was really lucky to watch him play and he’s one of my good friends now. Also, Pieter Seelaar. It’s really nice to associate with those guys - first watch them on TV and now part of that journey, which is really cool.

Daily Sun: You’re also a wicketkeeper-batter, and your journey feels almost parallel to your captain Scott Edwards’. Did you ever see him as a role model — both as a player and a leader?
Noah: I don't know if you already know that Scott and I used to play together in Melbourne.  From a very young age, he sort of took me under his wing. I remember when I was around 14-15,  we used to get stuck in keeping together, and obviously did some batting together. So yeah, it's been really nice to go through the journey with him, and it’s nice to pick his brain. He's a quality player. He always inspires me. 

Daily Sun: What makes your approach to the game unique than the rest?
Noah: Growing up in Australia, I was quite a short kid. I still am! I really admired Ricky Ponting, the way he played the short balls. I certainly tried to implement that in my game. I think looking up to those sort of players with short stature, especially compared to some of my friends back home, I think playing square of the wicket and using the pace has been something that I come to know as my identity as a cricketer. That’s sort of how I go about my game.

I really admired Ricky Ponting, the way he played the short balls. I certainly tried to implement that in my game.

Daily Sun: You’ve already been regarded as a potential future captain. If that responsibility came your way, what would your vision be for Dutch cricket?
Noah: I really enjoy leadership and I do captaincy back in my club (Voorburg Cricket Club) and the Dutch ‘A’ team, I sort of had that role for a while. So, I really enjoy it. And I think Scott and Ryan (Cook) and all the coaching staff really put us on the map in the way that we've done in qualifications and the World Cups. I think it's just a great template and so it's sort of what Dutch cricket can do with the opportunity and with the current playing group being really young. It's really exciting. The exposure and experience we are getting as a young playing group is so valuable. If I had the chance to lead this playing group into better things and sort of just continue on the journey that Ryan has put us on, I think we are really capable of still competing at the highest levels and obviously we speak about it - making semi-finals of World Cups and putting Dutch cricket on the map. So that’s the vision we all hold and we are working towards that really really hard.
 
Daily Sun: Looking forward a few years ahead, how do you see Dutch cricket evolving?
Noah: As I said, it’s a young group. And we are actually lucky that a lot of us have already had World Cup experience already. It’s obviously nice that we got through the qualifications for the 2026 T20 World Cup and we have our eyes on that and also the 2027 World Cup in Namibia and South Africa. I think it holds a very dear place to the guys with South African background. I think it would be very nice to just compete in that and we just got to keep going with what we’re doing. We’re doing well in World Cricket League 2 and we’re just going to keep pushing the boundaries and we’re only going to get better by playing this sort of series against Full members. This is my first Full member series tour. It obviously hasn’t gone our way but we have so many learning experiences out of this tour and that’s how we are going to get better.  

Daily Sun: What are the lessons you’d like this side to take from this tour?
Noah: What we have to do to prepare ourselves to bat on wicked surfaces like this against a quality bowling attack. Coming into Bangladesh here in Sylhet, the ball comes a bit quicker and you got guys with a bit more skill. I think it’s just about negotiating and coming up with plans to combat that. Especially for me, I could really use the pace and exploit different areas of the ground. You just have to use the pace and trust the swing. That’s what I’ve learned from this tour.

The exposure and experience we are getting as a young playing group is so valuable. If I had the chance to lead this playing group into better things and sort of just continue on the journey that Ryan has put us on, I think we are really capable of still competing at the highest levels and obviously we speak about it - making semi-finals of World Cups and putting Dutch cricket on the map. So that’s the vision we all hold and we are working towards that really really hard.

Daily Sun: One of your biggest strengths as a team is how well you all gel together despite the cultural differences. Do you think that unity can be a lesson beyond cricket, in how people approach life and teamwork?
Noah: I think we’re very lucky that we’ve got different cultures here from all around the world. It gives you a lot of different perspectives on life and the type of individuals you hang around day in day out. We really get along really well. We love spending time with each other, maybe sometimes we spend a bit too much time! But it's a really special environment, something I never experienced before coming from the other side of the world.

Daily Sun: Every journey has moments that test you. What’s been the toughest challenge in your cricketing path so far, and how do you think it has shaped you?
Noah: It’s been sort of an upward trajectory for me so far. But obviously missing out on the 2024 T20 World Cup really gave me fuel to work on my game. Also back in Australia where I tried really hard and sort of playing in that fringe in Victoria squads and wanted to make it as a professional cricketer there. But then that sliding door moment like I won’t ever  get to play as a pro over there. I worked out a few things in my game and learnt how to score consistent runs and then picking up the phone and speaking to Ryan and Scott. They gave me this opportunity in 2023 and it started from there from going to Zimbabwe. So I’m very fortunate that my journey had a lot of trust and backing put into me. All I want to do is to show what I can do and give it back to Ryan and Scott.