South Africa entered the match no. 15 of the ODI World Cup 2023 on the back of two massive wins against Sri Lanka and Australia. They looked like an unbeaten side, one of the prime contenders to lift the coveted title. However, an underdog Netherlands on Tuesday reminded everyone that they are the owners of the ‘chokers’ tag.
Netherlands cruised to an epic 38-run win over the Proteas at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. A spirited performance from the Dutch team saw them beat a Test-playing nation for the first time in an ODI World Cup. On the other hand, South Africa lost an ODI against an Associate Nation for the first time.
Top 3 talking points from the match between South Africa and Netherlands in ODI World Cup 2023:
3. South Africa’s poor death bowling
After electing to bowl first, Kagiso Rabada drew first blood by dismissing Vikramjit Singh in the 6th over. The Proteas bowlers soon reduced the opposition to 82/5. They should have closed the game off under 200 runs, but captain Scott Edwards (78 off 69) and the Dutch tail wag had other ideas. Nearly 100 runs were scored in the last 10 overs as the Netherlands posted a competitive score of 245 in 43 overs. Their death bowling was the main factor in losing the match.
2. Never give up attitude of Netherlands
Netherlands fought valiantly in their first match against Pakistan but it was not enough to defeat them. They kept Pakistan on their toes throughout the game. However, they managed to go the distance against South Africa with another remarkable performance. After losing half the side for 82 runs, reaching 245 in 43 overs is not everyone’s cup of tea. Their bowlers got off to a dream start with quick wickets and took the game away from the Proteas before the halfway point.
1. Never underestimate the underdogs
Prior to the Netherlands‘ coup, Afghanistan had upset defending champions England. The Asian team defeated one of the strongest teams in the tournament by 69 runs on October 15 in Delhi. Both the wins stunned the cricket fraternity and at the same time sounded a warning bell to other favourites. These underdogs have nothing to lose, so they will try to spoil the party of others while putting up a strong fight.
Also read: ODI World Cup 2023: Predicting India’s Playing XI for their encounter against Bangladesh