Zimbabwe and the Netherlands took on each other at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday (2 November). It was a clinical win for the Dutch as they defeated Zimbabwe by five wickets with two overs to spare. Zimbabwe just could not put their act together, especially with the bat. They lost three wickets within the first six overs itself. Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams implied the rescue act.
The two players stitched a 48-run partnership before Williams was dismissed. Raza then took the onus on himself scoring quick runs. But he too perished trying to up the ante and Zimbabwe were bowled out for 117. The Netherlands did fumble a bit in the chase but they crossed the line eventually. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe had a sloppy day in the field as well. They missed a few chances here and there.
On one occasion, it rather became funny when one of the Zimbabwe fielders lost his trouser while trying to save a boundary. In the 15th over of the Netherlands’ innings, Luke Jongwe bowled a low full toss. Max O' Dowd, the batter flicked it towards deep mid-wicket. The fielder sensed a chance as he went for a catch but the ball dropped in front of him. It then turned a bit and was racing to the boundary.
The fielder tried to stop it but failed and as he slid to stop the ball, he also lost his trouser with it coming down all the way to his knees.
Watch the video here:
With this win, the Netherlands finally opened their account in Super 12. Earlier, they lost their three games to India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. But this time, the batters ensured that their bowlers’ efforts don’t go in vain. Max O'Dowd scored a 47-ball 52 to propel the team over the line. Tom Cooper also scored a handy 32 off 29 balls.
