In a rain-affected World Cup 2023 match at Dharamsala, India, South Africa’s attempt to chase the Netherlands’ 246-run target got off to a challenging start as they lost four crucial wickets in rapid succession. The match began with a delay due to rain, commencing just before 4 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) and reduced to a 43-over affair.
South Africa’s captain, Temba Bavuma, won the toss and opted to field first, hoping that weather conditions would favor their bowlers. This tactic proved fruitful as the Netherlands’ opening pair, Vikramjit Singh (2) and Max O’Dowd (18), were dismissed early, followed by the quick removal of Colin Ackermann and Bas de Leede, who scored 12 and 2 runs, respectively.
Subsequently, South Africa faced setbacks as their opening pair, Temba Bavuma (16) and Quinton de Kock (20), struggled to lay a strong foundation for their team. The scoreboard displayed South Africa at 54-4 after 13 overs as Rassie van der Dussen (4) and Aiden Markram (1) were dismissed in rapid succession.
In the Netherlands’ innings, middle-order batsmen Sybrand Engelbrecht (19) and Teja Nidamanuru (20) couldn’t deliver notable performances. At that juncture, Scott Edwards played a crucial inning, remaining unbeaten with 78 runs and helping the Netherlands achieve a competitive total of 245 runs. South Africa’s bowlers, including Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Gerald Coetzee, and Keshav Maharaj, contributed with wickets during the Netherlands’ innings.
Despite comfortably overcoming Sri Lanka and Australia, South Africa was aware of the importance of accumulating points in extended tournaments. They sought to avenge their narrow defeat to the Netherlands in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, which had prevented them from reaching the semifinals.
Conversely, the Netherlands aimed to improve their performance after losing their first two matches in India. They looked to gain inspiration from Afghanistan’s recent victory over higher-ranked England in the Cricket World Cup. The Dutch believed they were stronger than their recent results suggested.
While the Netherlands had lost their initial two fixtures, they were eager to showcase their competitiveness. However, South Africa was unlikely to allow them the upper hand for a second time in two ICC events. In the Men’s T20 World Cup the previous year, the Netherlands had stunned South Africa, eliminating the favored side from the competition.
Both teams faced the challenge of an unfamiliar venue in Dharamsala and considered past results for insights. Spin played a crucial role in the Afghanistan-Bangladesh match, while England capitalized on a decent batting strip in the second contest.
Squads:
Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c), Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.
