This world cup has set an unprecedented tone. SA vs NED is a testament that any team with a winning mindset can turn the tide. The proteas made the same rookie mistake that England did with AFGHANISTAN.
Netherlands playing XI: Vikramjit Singh, Max ODowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards(w/c), Sybrand Engelbrecht, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren
South Africa playing XI: Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee
South Africa winning the toss decided to bowl first. Captain Bavuma thought the dimensions of the ground will be good enough to sail past the challenge that the Dutch may present.
The African side posted 428 runs in their first match with 3 tons from their top order. The bowling department took things under control in the second match when they restricted the mighty Australian at 177.
On the other side the Dutch lost their 2 opening fixtures. First against Pakistan and then to Kiwis.
The pacers struck first, as the Dutch top order faultered within the first 50 runs. African bowlers asked tough questions and completely dominated, as the wicket falled on regular intervals.
A 78 runs knock from the skipper Scott Edwards and some crucial boundaries from the Pinch hitter Aryan Dutt. Netherland did manage to put 244/8 on the board.
Considering the top order in impeccable form, Quinton de cock the leading run scorer in the tournament. This should probably been a walk in the park. But to our surprise, South Africa lost 4 wickets at 44 runs.
The Dutch bowlers scripted one of the biggest World Cup upsets. The top tier teams now know the Dutch and the Afghan squad need to be taken much more seriously. Given the right circumstances any team can prove fatal.
The proteas will be back at the drawing board to weigh in the things that went wrong. The top 4 teams will play the knockout matches. The current status of the points table, doesn’t paint a clear picture.
Only India and New Zealand remain undefeated in the tournament. It’s likely that both the teams will retain their top spots. Venturing into the next phase of the tournament, the upcoming 3 matches will cement the number 3 position on the points table. Pakistan and South Africa are the favourites to hold their position with 2 wins out of 3. 5 teams have 2 points each, that includes the defending champion England and five times world champion Australia.
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