In a remarkable turn of events, the Netherlands emerged victorious against the formidable South African cricket team with a 38-run triumph at the Cricket World Cup on Tuesday. This surprising win marked the second time in a year that the Dutch team managed to humiliate the Proteas.
Chasing a target of 246 runs in a rain-reduced 43-over contest, Dutch captain Scott Edwards played a crucial innings, scoring an unbeaten 78 runs. South Africa, one of the tournament favorites, was eventually bowled out for 207 in a match played against the breathtaking backdrop of the Himalayas.
Notably, this victory for the Netherlands mirrored their success last November when they eliminated South Africa from the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia.
The shockwave from this match added to the World Cup’s recent surprises, coming just three days after Afghanistan’s stunning victory over defending champions England.
The match began inconspicuously as South Africa cruised comfortably to 36 runs without any wickets lost in their pursuit of victory. However, the tables turned dramatically as four wickets fell for the addition of just eight runs. Quinton de Kock, who had scored back-to-back centuries in South Africa’s impressive opening wins over Sri Lanka and Australia, was dismissed for just 20, caught behind off the bowling of Colin Ackermann, one of three South African-born players in the Dutch team.
Captain Temba Bavuma, having scored 16 runs, was clean bowled by Roelof van der Merwe, who had played 13 ODIs for South Africa before moving to the Netherlands. Seamer Paul van Meekeren claimed the wicket of Aiden Markram for just one run. Van der Merwe’s left-arm spin lured Rassie van der Dussen into an ill-fated reverse sweep, and the catch was taken by Aryan Dutt at backward point.
South Africa’s top-order batsmen, De Kock, Markram, and Van der Dussen, had all made centuries in South Africa’s record-breaking total of 428 runs in their victory over Sri Lanka.
Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller attempted to rebuild the innings with a 45-run partnership for the fifth wicket, but the Netherlands’ Logan van Beek broke through by dismissing Klaasen for 28 runs.
With Klaasen’s dismissal, South Africa found themselves in a precarious position at 89-5. David Miller provided resistance by making 43 runs, but his wicket was taken by Logan van Beek. The Dutch side managed to wrap up the South African innings, with Bas de Leede claiming the wickets of Gerald Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada, and Keshav Maharaj’s late resistance, scoring 40 runs, ended by Van Beek.
This victory marked the Netherlands’ first win at this World Cup after previous losses to Pakistan and New Zealand.
In the match’s earlier proceedings, Scott Edwards delivered a brilliant innings, scoring 78 runs not out. Roelof van der Merwe made a significant contribution with a quickfire 29 runs off 19 balls. This partnership of 64 runs for the eighth wicket played a crucial role in rescuing the Dutch side from a precarious situation when they were at 112-6 due to a delayed start caused by rain.
South Africa’s highly regarded pace attack, including Kagiso Rabada, made a strong start by ripping through the Netherlands’ top order in chilly, damp conditions. Rabada celebrated his 150th ODI wicket, dismissing opener Vikramjit Singh with a top-edge catch by Quinton de Kock.
Singh struggled to score, managing just two runs from 16 balls after the Dutch team was put in to bat. Rabada also accounted for Bas de Leede, who was given out lbw for two runs.
Despite the challenge, several Dutch batsmen, including Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Sybrand Engelbrecht, and Teja Nidamanuru, reached double figures, though they struggled against Rabada and South Africa’s fast bowlers.
Spinner Keshav Maharaj joined the attack, and his spin accounted for Logan van Beek, who was stumped by Quinton de Kock.
However, it was Scott Edwards and Roelof van der Merwe who took the center stage, launching a rescue mission, aided by Aryan Dutt, who contributed an unbeaten 23 runs from just nine balls, including three sixes.
Notably, South Africa conceded 32 extras during the match, including a significant 21 wides.
The Dutch cricket team’s stunning victory over South Africa adds a remarkable twist to the Cricket World Cup, leaving fans and pundits alike in awe of the unpredictable nature of the sport.
