Another stunner for fans in the World Cup 2023! After Afghanistan’s victory against England, it’s the Netherlands now to defeat South Africa in a rain-interrupted game at Dharamshala.
Tuesday marked another Red Letter Day in the history of cricket as the Orange army grabbed their first win in the tournament, defeating South Africa.
The Dutch secured victory by 38 runs against the Proteas and ensured their first victory in the tournament.
South Africa loses to Netherlands by 38 runs
The game was reduced to 43 overs due to rain. Choosing to field first, Bavuma sent the Dutch to bat first. They were decent with the bat as they put up a strong total of 245 runs on board with the loss of eight wickets.
Scott Edwards, their captain, was the star of Netherland’s batting as he smashed a well-crafted 78 of 69 balls that had ten fours and a six. In the end, the cameo from Van der Merwe (29 off 19) and Aryan Dutt (23 off 9) helped the Dutch put up a competitive total.
Coming to chase the target in 43 overs, South Africa didn’t look strong from the beginning. Besides David Miller (43 out of 52), no one could contribute enough to cross the target. In the end, Maharaj scored a 37 ball 40; however, it wasn’t enough to ensure a victory for his team.
For his massive batting performance, Edwards was rightly awarded the man of the match.
Just a day before, Afghanistan had defeated the defending champions, England, and today, the Netherlands secured victory for South Africa. Sure, a lot more excitement and surprises will unfold in the upcoming days of the tournament.
What did the captains say?
Speaking in the post-match interview, Edwards said that they came with high expectations, and he’s extremely proud of the win. He mentioned that they do their research before a game, and even though they were in a good position in the first few games, it didn’t work out.
Edwards concluded, saying that he was sure many fans would be staying up to watch the victory and that he was very happy with the win.
The South African captain Bavuma said that even though they were in a good position when Netherlands were 112/6, they shouldn’t have allowed them to cross 200. He further mentioned that they were confident with the chase, but the Dutch bowlers were able to identify the “deficiencies” in their batting. The fielding wasn’t up to the mark like how it was against Australia, and he said to have a word with the boys. Bavuma wished the Netherlands Good Luck.
Stay tuned for more exciting games on the way!
Read More: Afghanistan surprises the world by beating England at Cricket World Cup 2023
