Cricket is a game of uncertainty. That thing proved again in the South Africa vs. Netherlands match. It was an absolute thriller match of the tournament. South Africa was unbeaten in the World Cup before this match. On the other hand, the Netherlands lost their two consecutive matches in the World Cup before playing this match. The scenario was different. But the Netherlands players turned the match in their favor. It was a huge boost for them in the tournament. Former South African bowler, Imran Tahir talked about the loss.
What Happened in the match?
The thrill is everywhere in the World Cup 2023. Netherlands and South Africa faced each other at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. It was an exciting fixture. After winning the toss, South Africa won the toss and decided to bowl first. Initially, the Netherlands lost two quick wickets. Both the openers got out. Vikramjit Singh got out on 2 runs and Max O’Dowd scored 18 runs. The Netherlands captain played an amazing innings. He remained not out on 78 in 69 runs. He smashed 10 boundaries and 1 over-boundary. In the end, they scored 245/8.
While batting in the second innings, South Africa didn’t get the desired start. South African skipper Temba Bavuma scored 16 and got out. Quinton de Kock also got out quickly on 20 runs. Aiden Markram scored 1 run and got out. David Miller scored 43 runs in 52 balls. He smashed 4 boundaries and 1 over-boundary. They got all out on 207 runs.
The Dutch bowlers did an amazing job. They played a team game. Logan van Beek picked up 3 wickets in 60 runs. Colin Ackermann picked up 1 wicket in 16 runs. Paul van Meekran picked up 2 wickets in 40 runs. Roelof van der Merwe took 2 wickets in 34 runs. Bas de Leede took 2 wickets in 36 runs. They just dominated the South African squad and snatched the match.
Imran Tahir’s Words:
After that unwanted loss, Imran Tahir talked about it. After losing the match, they lost two points. Before the match, South Africa was unbeaten. But the Netherlands defeated them by 38 runs. In a media interaction, former South African player Imran Tahir said, “ It is an incredibly big loss. I think going forward South Africa might regret and think about these two points which they achieve today but all credit goes to the Dutch team.”
Further, he added, “ They wanted it very badly. You can see that they were very passionate and they did everything right to win this game. Really, really well done to them. They batted well, they fielded well and you saw that belief in their bowling. So credit goes to the Dutch team. They were the better team today.”
It was a disappointing match for South Africa. They started the tournament with a bang. They registered the highest World Cup total in the first match. Before this match they were unbeaten. But the Netherlands defeated them by 38 runs. But there is a long way to go. South Africa has an extremely talented side. They can come back stronger in their next match.
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