Another day, another upset as Netherlands sprang a surprise after beating South Africa by 38 runs in the World Cup 2023 clash against South Africa in Dharamshala.
The Netherlands did not get off to an ideal start after being asked to bat first in a 43-a-side match that was marred by rain. South Africa opened the scoring with Kagiso Rabada, who sent opener Vikramjit Singh to the dugout to hit a 16-ball two. Opening partner Max O’Dowd followed suit in the next over after being dismissed for 18 (25), reducing the score to 24-2. The situation was made worse by the return of dependable all-rounder Bas de Lied with a paltry 2 (7). After Teja Nidamnuru was dismissed, Holland were 112-6 after 27 overs. The natural outcome seemed to be that the better team would beat the worse team.
However, captain Scott Edwards, in conjunction with perennial favorite Roelev van der Merwe, got the Netherlands back into the game. Edwards hit an astonishing 78 off 69 pitches, adding momentum to a sluggish inning. The knock consisted of his 10 boundaries and his one maximum. Van der Merwe, on the other hand, hit 29 shots, including 4-3 from 19. His six points, which came from an uppercut on pacer Gerard Coetzee, were the highlight of his fast-break contribution. Aryan Dutt played an important cameo and scored 23 runs off just nine balls. Dutt completed the maximum three throws for his score of 255.55, capping the Dutch comeback. They finished 8-for-245 on him.
South Africa were looking for a potentially difficult target, but given their recent excellent batting form, they were still expected to leave with two points left. The Dutch took an early lead on the spin, and the chasers’ worst fears were certainly realized. Colin Ackermann fended off the threat of Quinton de Kock and took wickets for 20 (22). Van der Merwe derailed the chase with two successive strikes from Themba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen. Paul van Meekeren clears Aiden Markram 1(3). Logan van Beek took out the dangerous duo of Heinrich Klaasen (28th) and David Miller (43rd) to put South Africa’s game out of reach. Then, Fan’s bake with Keshav in the final took the last wicket of Maharaj and gave him a famous victory.
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This was the first win against a full ICC member in a 50-over event.
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