Credit: Twitter
In a shocking turn of events, the Netherlands defeated South Africa by 38 runs to win their first match of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. This is the second consecutive World Cup win for the Dutch over South Africa as they defeated the Proteas in last year's ICC T20 World Cup held in Australia. With this loss, Temba Bavuma and Co. also lost their first game of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
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Coming back to Dharamshala, the game started with a rain delay and was reduced to a 43-over affair. Batting first, the Netherlands got off to a horrid start and continued losing wickets as they were reduced to 82-5 in 20.2 overs. But from this point forward, the captain, Scott Edwards, took control and carried the Dutch tail through the innings. Edwards found great partners in Roelof van der Merwe and Aryan Dutt, who played some blinding cameos.
The former South African international played a crucial knock of 29 in 19 balls while Dutt smashed 23 in 9 balls with three sixes. Alongside these fireworks, Edwards' 78 in 69 balls, with 10 fours and one six, helped the Dutch post a formidable total of 245 in 43 overs.
In the second innings, after a decent South African start, the Netherlands jumped on top by cleaning up the Proteas' top order in just a space of three overs. With this top-order collapse, Henrich Klassen and David Miller tried to steady the batting effort and stitched up a decent 45-run stand.
Also Read: Twitter heaps praise on Netherlands for remarkable batting against South Africa in CWC 2023
But with a persistent Dutch bowling lineup, Klassen fell before the remaining two batters - Miller and Marco Jansen were dismissed. Nearing a historic win, the South African tail continued battling for some more time until the last wicket fell in the final over and gave the Dutch a monumental victory.
