SA vs NED: Netherlands stun South Africa, pull off only their 3rd win in World Cup history

The Netherlands produced the second shock of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

When they defeated high-flying South Africa by 38 runs on Tuesday at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. Netherlands bowled out South Africa for 207 to script just their third ODI World Cup win, 16 years since their last against Scotland in West Indies.

Meanwhile, this is Netherlands’s second win over South Africa in ICC tournaments in the last 12 months, as the Dutch had knocked the Proteas out of the T20 World Cup 2022 with a stunning 13-run win on November 6, 2022, in Adelaide.

After putting on a decent total on board, the Netherlands needed early breakthroughs to really push South Africa onto the backfoot and Colin Ackermann did just that, removing Quinton de Kock for two. Roelof van der Merwe added to South Africa’s panic when a quicker one slid through quicker to nip out Temba Bavuma’s stumps.

The Proteas were in early trouble and the Netherlands had their eyes set on a special win. With Aiden Markram getting cleaned up by Paul van Meekeren and Rassie van der Dussen gifting a simple catch to Aryan Dutt off van der Merwe’s delivery, South Africa were stuttering at 44 for 4 in the 12th over.

With the Netherlands putting South Africa in a precarious position at 109 for six, only David Miller’s resilient 43 runs stood between them and a remarkable victory. Anxiety coursed through the field and dressing room when De Leede missed a straightforward catch from Miller in the outfield, but their destiny was sealed in the 31st over when the dangerous left-hander was bowled by pacer Logan van Beek. Paul van Meekren proved instrumental by dismissing Aiden Markram and Marco Jansen with two deceptive cross-seam deliveries that shattered their stumps.

Earlier, in the rain-affected World Cup match, Scott Edwards led from the front to help the Netherlands register an impressive recovery, ultimately reaching a total of 245 for eight. The intermittent rain not only added a chilly atmosphere to the mountain venue but also shortened the match to a 43-over-a-side contest.

Nonetheless, the Netherlands’ performance in the death overs with the ball was nothing less than impressive, conceding 68 runs in the final five overs. At the 34th over mark, the Netherlands were struggling at 140 for seven. Scott Edwards, who scored 78 runs from 69 balls, and Roelof van der Merwe, with 29 runs off 19 balls, entertained with a partnership of 64 runs in just 37 balls towards the end of the innings, helping the team cross the 200-run mark.

South Africa’s formidable pace attack proved challenging for the Dutch top-order, and they struggled against it. Aryan Dutt’s unbeaten 23 runs off nine balls provided valuable support to the team’s total.

In the very first ball of the match, Rabada made an impact by dismissing Vikramjit Singh, who managed just 2 runs off 16 balls while attempting a pull shot against a fast delivery. Six balls later, the tall left-arm pacer Jansen got the better of Max O’Dowd (18) by inducing a faint edge with a delivery angled away.

Bas de Leede, a star all-rounder, was also sent back for just 2 runs as Rabada executed a delivery that sharply cut back from length, trapping him in front. The pacers continued to take wickets during the middle overs before Edwards and former Proteas star Van der Merwe launched a counter-offensive.