ICC World Cup 2023: Netherlands achieves a remarkable win over South Africa

Just a couple of nights ago, Afghanistan pulled off an astonishing victory against England, and now, the Netherlands has clinched another remarkable World Cup win, defeating South Africa in a rain-curtailed match held tonight in Dharamsala. The Netherlands shocked the Proteas by securing a win by 38 runs.

Winning the toss, South Africa opted to bowl first. Their bowlers got off to a sensational start, taking wickets at regular intervals. Consequently, the Netherlands lost their initial five wickets with just 82 runs on the board. Subsequently, Sybrand Engelbrecht and Teja Nidamanuru attempted to stabilize the innings but were dismissed as well. When the score reached 40/7, captain Scott Edwards and van der Merwe formed a crucial partnership, adding 64 runs for the eighth wicket. During this collaboration, Edwards (78*) also notched up a half-century. After van der Merwe's (29) departure, Aryan Dutt's (23*) cameo helped the Netherlands reach a total of 245/8 in 43 overs. Lungi Ngidi (2/57), Marco Jansen (2/27) and Kagiso Rabada (2/56) took two wickets each for South Africa.

This target might have seemed modest, but the Dutch bowlers presented a formidable challenge to the Protea batters, leading to South Africa losing five wickets with only 89 runs on the scoreboard. Although David Miller (43) attempted to anchor the chase, he lacked substantial support from the other end. The Netherlands' bowlers kept taking wickets in quick succession, placing the opposition in dire straits. Eventually, South Africa got all-out for 207 in 42.5 overs. While Logan van Beek took three wickets (3/60), Paul van Meekeren (2/40), Roelof van der Merwe (2/34) and Bas de Leede (2/36) took two wickets each.

Following this loss, South Africa is set to face England on October 21. Meanwhile, after this impressive victory, the Netherlands will go on to play against Sri Lanka on the same date.

Scorecard:

Netherlands: 245/8 (43 overs)

South Africa: 207/10 (42.5 overs)