Dutch men qualify for Cricket World Cup after unprecedented run chase against Scotland
Published at 06 July, 2023Against the odds the Netherlands has qualified for the Cricket World Cup that will be held in India in October and November this year. In Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), the Dutch team was too strong for Scotland. It won by such a margin that it had a better Net Run Rate than Scotland. Bas de Leede was the undisputed Man of the Match with five wickets and 123 runs.
Scott Edwards and Logan van Beek provided the dream start; Edwards by winning the toss and Van Beek by hitting Cross' offstump with a beauty of an offcutter. McBride and McMullen worked on a partnership; 40/1 after the first Powerplay was strangely enough an acceptable result for both parties. It was a short ball that gave the Dutch their second wicket (46/2/11, McBride ct Van Beek b De Leede).
Munsey was dropped on 0, but moments later received a ball that just ended up in the hands of keeper Edwards via the glove; a lucky moment for the Netherlands (64/3/15). Almost unnoticed, the Scots went from a run rate of 4.16 to more than five runs per over.
McMullen made a nearly flawless 100 and Scotland picked up the pace. They realized that wickets in hand would be important to get 300 runs on the board. Klein got McMullen caught behind for 106 (201/4/37.2) and bowled Leask moments later. Scotland stood up until De Leede uprooted the midstump of both Berrington (64) and Greaves: 264/7. Mark Watt gave De Leede his first five-for in ODIs with a silly badminton shot. Sharif kept the hat-trick ball - a yorker - just out of the stumps.
Because of this impressive fightback, the Dutch were not looking at a target of around 300, but 277/9. De Leede took 5-52.
Netherlands innings
Netherlands had to make the target within 44 overs to stay ahead of Scotland on Net Run Rate. Thanks to Singh, O'Dowd and some fortune, the Netherlands had a great start. It was 57/0 after the first Powerplay. Singh gave Sharif a difficult c&b chance and got away with it. Soon after, however, both O'Dowd (20) and Vikram (40) were LBW facing Leask (72/2/14.5).
Barresi (11) hit the ball into the hands of the short mid wicket and Nidamanuru into the hands of the cow corner fielder (108/4). Losing top batsmen and the sharply increasing required run rate seemed to become a toxic combination. De Leede/ Edwards was now the partnership to break for the Scots. An LBW review request on Edwards (25) seemed too late, but was still given (163/5).
With a required run rate of well over ten, it now seemed like a hopeless mission. However, Saqib Zulfiqar and Bas de Leede achieved an unlikely 113-run partnership for the sixth wicket, with both batsmen increasingly finding the boundary. The Scottish target got closer and closer, especially when the 41st went over for 22 and the 42nd for 20. De Leede delivered a brilliant all-around performance with 123 runs. He was still run out shortly before the end, but Logan van Beek hit the winning run.
What a fantastic performance this Dutch team has achieved! Beforehand, qualification in the midst of so many Full Members seemed like a hopeless mission. The Orange belied all the doomsayers with brilliant game plans and unprecedented fighting spirit and deserved to make it to the final tournament.
Photo credit: ICC/Getty
