Paul van Meekeren Exclusive Interview on CREX. Image Credits: AFP
The inaugural edition of European T20 Premier League (ETPL) is set begin on August 26, with the Glasgow Cosmics looking like the team to beat.
Ahead of the first season of the ETPL, we at CREX had a chat with the very talented Paul van Meekeren over his take on the IPL, fight with Haris Rauf & Pakistani cricketers, his dream wicket and his reservations against the ICC over the new ODI World Cup format.
Excerpts from Paul van Meekeren's Exclusive Interview on CREX
Question 1: How are you, Paul? How is everything coming through?
Paul van Meekeren: Only a few weeks away from the ETPL, so I am excited. I am coming in from an injury, so everything is tracking really well. All those hurdles you have to go through when you are coming from an injury, but it is really going really well. So just excited to start well.
Question 2: How is the vibe at the Netherlands camp regarding the ETPL?
Paul van Meekeren: I haven't met anyone in quite a while, everyone has been in their hotel for the last two weeks now. As I wasn't a part of the last series, I will be meeting everyone for the first time in a month. So we'll see how the energies are, as they were busy to prepare for the Cricket World Cup League 2 against Namibia and Nepal.
I am sure, everyone is very excited for ETPL, as it was long coming. As players you always think, let it happen this year, as it would be a gamechanger. Hopefully, we will go well this year and it would continue for many more years to come.
Question 3: You have featured in leagues like T20 Blast, CPL, BPL, and LPL and done well over there. Now you will play for the Glasgow Cosmic in the inaugural European T20 Premier League (ETPL). How excited are you about that? How different is the vibe in ETPL from other franchise leagues?
Paul van Meekeren: I know, there are not franchise leagues in associate cricket. Ireland is obviously a full-member nation, but two out three countries are associate teams. If you look around the world, Nepal has got a franchise league, then the USA has one which obviously is completely different in its structure as it's almost like a mini IPL.
I think the quality of players we have from Scotland, Ireland and Netherlands, we have been there in pretty much in every other World Cup and beaten some of the biggest teams, so the level of domestic players is going to be very high. It has the potential to become one of the biggest franchise leagues in the world. That's sort of my initial feeling. All those things added in, it sets up a great tournament that has a lot of potential in the future.
Question 4: The top photograph on your Instagram handle is a team photo at the picturesque Dharamsala stadium. How was the experience playing there? Tell us about any unforgettable anecdotes in India, as you have been here thrice, if I am correct.
Paul van Meekeren: I've actually been back to Dharamshala in 2023, where we obviously beat South Africa in a 50-over World Cup, but that picture is extra special because it was my first ever T20 World Cup. It was at the start of my playing career for the Dutch team.
I dislocated my collarbone only a couple months before, so I just got back in time. And then that first game against Bangladesh, one of the first overs, I dropped a catch at the boundary that went for six.
So, you know, it's not the kind of start you want at your first ever World Cup. But then the very first ball in my T20 World Cup debut, I took a wicket. So that settled the nerves and I think I got two for 18 or two for 20. So I had a real good spell against Bangladesh.
Question 5: Talking about T20 World Cups, you guys almost won against Pakistan in the previous T20 World Cup (in 2026). After that game, you said Pakistan didn't win it, we lost against ourselves. What was the feeling in the dressing room after that particular loss, if you can tell me?
Paul van Meekeren: I think you don't get the opportunity so often to play against big teams like Pakistan and other four-member teams. So to be in a position where you think you've won the game and you get a chance to really close it out, and then obviously everyone drops catches and no one does it. It's just an accident.
It was quite tough, I think, after the changing room. But I think any team, if you ask India how they felt after losing a 50-over World Cup final or a T20 World Cup final, whatever, those feelings will be the same. You don't get these opportunities very often. You feel like you've taken an opportunity and at the last hurdle you fall. It was disappointing. Everyone was upset.
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Question 6: Staying on the same topic about Pakistan, you had a bit of a banter against Haris Rauf during the 2023 World Cup in India. Although he got you out, but you also slashed him for a boundary. Do you have any special memories from that game, from slashing him for a four?
Paul van Meekeren: That was our first 50-over World Cup game. We had them in trouble a couple of times in the first innings. So obviously when they're in trouble, I started talking to their batters a little bit. When I walked in, it was payback time for me. Their bowlers were fired up and I just enjoyed it. You can be competitive on the field and I wouldn't say enemies, but you battle against each other as long as your relationship off the field is fantastic.
And I think since that day, obviously after playing Pakistan early in the year, my relationship with the Pakistan players have been fantastic and we all had a good laugh about it.
And even during that game, everyone was just having a good time, except Logan van Beek, who was batting on the other end, who was probably not as happy that I was trying to fire up the Pakistani fast bowlers because they probably bought a little bit quicker because they were sort of fired up.
So he was the only one who wasn't enjoying it and I was just trying to watch the ball and wherever I could hit it.
Question 7: There was a time when you worked at Uber Eats. Those must have been hard times. Do you want to share any experiences and anything to inspire the younger generation?
Paul van Meekeren: Yeah, I think if you play cricket or whatever sport you do in life, I play cricket because I love the game and because I get a lot of enjoyment out of it and it's fun. So I think quite often you'll see me with a smile on the cricket field.
The Uber Eats period was tough times. It was during COVID and I'm sure it was tough times for everyone. I mean, I've been quite lucky that none of my nearest and dearest got really sick or passed away.
I just needed to make sure I could pay my bills at the end of the month, but also be available for any cricket opportunities that came.
I had a lot of fun doing it. I mean, everything was closed at the time and there was not much else to do. And for me, some people go running to clear their head and get a good feeling out of that.
Question 8: It's uncommon to see an active international cricketer also serving as the President of a players' association. What inspired you to take on that responsibility? And looking back, what's your vision for the Dutch Cricketers' Association, and what achievements make you the proudest?
Paul van Meekeren: I think the reason I started was because I played in county cricket in the UK and I got the PCA, which has been established many, many years ago. At that time, it was also started by players and run by players.
For us, it's the same. Before you get the money and get the deals and have money to pay people to do it full-time, it has to be done by the players themselves. For me, the reason of doing it was that I didn't maybe personally agree or you hear a lot of stories within the team about frustrations.
And again, in COVID time, I had not much else to do, so I just grabbed the bull by the horns and set it all up. I think the proudest is that one that we're probably still operating, that it's still going on. It's easy after a tough time where you might not have the engagement that you like with other parties that you stop.
Question 9: Just like any cricketer, you must have aspirations to play in the IPL. What makes the Indian league different from other leagues? What’s your say about that?
Paul van Meekeren: I've been lucky enough to make the draft or the final auction list, which is for associate cricketers quite rare. I feel like I've been close to it. The quality of players and overseas players that they sign is so hard to get in. You really need a real good standout World Cup, probably close to the IPL, and have some standout performances and do it maybe over a couple of years when you get the opportunity against big teams to do it.
I think one, the passion for cricket in India, the love for the game and how big cricket is in India, is probably the number one reason.
I've played in India against India, so I know what the crowds can be like. But just to play in a team where, from all the players I've looked after so well, and you probably will experience how it is like playing for a professional football team, like Barcelona, Real Madrid, or whatever it is.
Question 10: Which IPL team would you want to play for?
Paul van Meekeren: We've got this joke with some of the other Dutch cricket guys. One of the Dutch cricket guys is a very big RCB fan, and every time RCB did poorly, I messaged him. So, right now, obviously, they've won it two years in a row.
So, now he's talking a lot. Just to maybe frustrate my friend, I would say not RCB, so maybe Chennai. I've enjoyed being in Chennai. We were at the World Cup. I love the grounds. So, yeah, maybe some place like Chennai would be pretty cool.
Question 11: During RCB’s acquisition in 2026, you spoke openly about the financial challenges faced by associate nations and how little revenue they generate compared to full members. From an administrative perspective, what is one change you would like to see the ICC implement to help bridge the gap between full-member and associate nations?
Paul van Meekeren: In the ICC, I mean, you hear a lot about that they want to make cricket a more global sport and have more teams at the World Cup being competitive.
But I mean, if you give so much money to one or two or three boards, and you've got all, I think there are like almost 100 associate teams that get such a small percentage, like the whole 100 teams get, all the 100 teams together get a very small percentage of the pie.
I mean, the actions of the ICC maybe not always correlate with what they're saying. So if they say they want to make cricket a truly global sport, then speak to the players.
I'm doing some work on the side. You know, how can we make cricket more commercially attractive in the Netherlands and grow the game so we're not also dependent on the ICC?
But if the ICC can also help with that for maybe not in giving us money, but to help us create a pipeline of finance so we are less dependent on the ICC. But there are so many challenges in cricket. I think there's a lot of money available for cricket, but we're not, we don't have the right commercial plans in place.
Question 12: The ICC has recently revamped the format for the next ODI World Cup, with only one of the three seeded teams from the Super Series progressing further.
As a player from an associate nation, how do you view this change, and do you feel it provides enough opportunities for emerging teams to compete at the highest level?
Paul van Meekeren: Not ideal. It's, yeah, it's very disappointing. I think players globally, especially social players globally, have been voicing their frustration about it. I know the World Cricket Association has put a statement out. It doesn't seem right if you, like from a social point of view, you play a tournament over three years to qualify for a World Cup qualifier, then to play again.
We had it in the T20 World Cup for many years as well. I mean, we've shown, Scotland have shown it, Zimbabwe has shown it in the last T20 World Cup. Ireland have shown it in the past. We can beat the big teams and we can cause upsets and why not have a small team come and play? We might lose three out of the four teams, but if we can win and ruin the party for a big team, that would be fantastic.
Ireland beat India twice recently in Ireland. If we come to a World Cup and one of the small teams beat India and knock India out of the tournament, how great would that be for the game? Probably not ideal for people who run cricket, but they would be super excited to see that happen.
Question 13: Your franchise, Glasgow Cosmic, is co-owned by the legendary Matthew Hayden in partnership with the Mugafi Group. Have the owners shared any advice with the squad? And if you could master one shot from his iconic batting arsenal, which would it be?
Paul van Meekeren: I haven't spoken too much with him yet. Obviously, we've not come together yet. I spoke a little bit with him at the T20 World Cup, but at that time I didn't know I was going to play for the franchise.
I am super excited to have someone with the experience that he's had and the stuff that he's done in cricket around me, and to be part of the team and also be the head coach. So, yeah, I'm super excited to work with him.
Question 14: Any shot you want to learn or take from Matthew Hayden's arsenal?
Paul van Meekeren: I do remember him hitting sixes with a mongoose bat, which was about this big and has a very long handle. So yeah, he probably was hitting it quite straight. So something like that.
Question 15: The Glasgow Cosmic squad has a strong Aussie flavour, with several experienced T20 stars in the dressing room. Have conversations about winning the title already started? How’s the belief in there?
Paul van Meekeren: No, I think the belief, I mean, again, we haven't been together yet as a team. It's happening next week. Obviously, you know, we'll see who, we've got a super exciting team on paper. Hopefully the guys who are playing in the hundred now or somewhere else don't get injured and need to be replaced.
Question 16: Who would be the dream wicket for you?
Paul van Meekeren: In the ETPL, I would like to take Mitchell Marsh's wicket. Obviously, he is the captain of the Amsterdam team. I was born and raised in Amsterdam, so I look forward to play against my home city. He has been in incredible touch in the last year or so, scoring runs. So if I could get him out cheaply, that would go a long way in winning the game.
Question 17: Any modern day contempary, you want to share the dressing room with?
Paul van Meekeren: I would like to share the changing room with Lungi Ngidi. He is obviously coming to play for Glosgow. He has been phenomenial after developing that slower ball that has been really successful in the IPL. I am really excited to work with him and learn a bit from him.
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Question 18: Which one batter from the 1990s would you like to dismiss: Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden or Brian Lara.
Paul van Meekeren: Ricky Ponting. I remember watching and I always loved watching him bat. So to get him out would be pretty cool. But not getting him bowled through his defences.
Watch the full interview below:
