In a thrilling showdown at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday, October 17, the Netherlands pulled off a remarkable upset by defeating South Africa with a 38-run victory in the 15th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
The Proteas found themselves in a tough spot, trying to chase down a revised target of 246 in a rain-affected 43-over match. However, their pursuit ended at 207 in 42.5 overs. South Africa’s chase got off to a rocky start when their in-form opener, Quinton de Kock, departed after scoring 20 runs from 22 deliveries in the eighth over. Soon after, Captain Temba Bavuma was dismissed for 16 runs off 31 balls, losing his stumps to Roelof van der Merwe. Aiden Markram, a valuable wicket, fell for just 1 run from 3 deliveries, thanks to Paul van Meekeren. South Africa’s troubles continued as Van der Merwe claimed the wicket of Rassie van der Dussen, who managed only 4 runs from 7 balls. This left the South African team reeling at 44 for 4 after 11.2 overs.
Logan van Beek made a key impact, dismissing the in-form Heinrich Klaasen (28 off 38) in the 19th over, which left South Africa battling at 89/5. David Miller (43 off 52) fought courageously to bring his team to victory, but he too lost his wicket to Van Beek, leaving South Africa in a critical predicament.
In the early phases of the encounter, the Netherlands also suffered a tough start. Openers Vikramjit Singh (2 off 16) and Max O’Dowd (18 off 25) were dismissed early, putting their team at 24/2 after 7.1 overs. Bas de Leede (2 off 7) and Colin Ackerman (12 off 25) failed to make an impression, as the Dutch found themselves battling at 50/4 after 15.1 overs.
Amidst the flurry of wickets falling at the other end, captain Scott Edwards kept his ground and played a fantastic innings, remaining undefeated on 78 off 69 balls. He struck ten boundaries and a six during his innings. Edwards also had crucial support from Roelof van der Merwe (29 off 19) and Aryan Dutt (23* off 9), contributing to their team’s total of 245/8 in the rain-affected 43-over game.
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Meanwhile, social media was abuzz with reactions to the Netherlands’ emphatic win. Here are some of the reactions:
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