Netherlands vs Afghanistan highlights, Cricket World Cup 2023: AFG chase down a 180-run target with 7 wickets to spare, climbing to fifth spot in the table.
Netherlands vs Afghanistan highlights, Cricket World Cup 2023: Having already won three matches, Afghanistan’s hopes of reaching their first-ever World Cup semifinals depends only on them. Luck is out of the factor and it will only rely on their performance. They are currently up against Netherlands in ODI 34, another side who have punched above their weight. Chasing 180, the Afghans are currently two wickets down, with Rahmat Shah and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi building a partnership. Rahmanullah Gurbaz departed early, falling for 10 off 11 balls. Meanwhile, Ibrahim Zadran (20) was removed by Roelof van der Merwe in the 11th over. Rahmat has already registered a half-century and will be looking to lead his side to a win.
Initially, the Dutch were bowled out for 179 in 46.3 overs, setting a target of 180. Netherlands captain Scott Edwards won the toss and opted to bat. Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck early for the Afghans as he removed opener Wesley Barresi in the first over, for one off four balls. But Barresi’s opening partner Max O’Dowd rebuilt for Netherlands, alongwith Colin Ackermann. It looked like O’Dowd would get a half-century, but a smart move by the Afghan captain saw Mohammad Nabi come in to bowl in the 12th over. O’Dowd tried to take him on, but was dismissed by a direct hit, while attempting to take a double. He departed for 42 off 40 balls.
A run out in the 18th delivery saw Ackermann leave for 29 off 35 balls. Meanwhile, captain Edwards (0) was dismissed in the next delivery itself. Bas de Leede (3) and Saqib Zulfiqar (3) followed suit, losing their wickets to Nabi and Noor Ahmad. Nabi and Noor struck again after the 30th over, removing Logan van Beek (2) and Roelof van der Merwe. Nabi removed Van Beek in the 31st over and Van der Merwe departed in the 42nd over. The final wicket of the first innings came in the 47th over as Nabi trapped Paul van Meekeren (4) for a lbw. Nabi ended the innings with a three-wicket haul and Noor scalped two dismissals.
Previously, the Dutch got back on track with a campaign-reviving win against battered Bangladesh, and are the only team to have defeated South Africa in this tournament. Both sides have faced each other in nine ODIs, with Afghanistan coming out on top on seven occasions and Netherlands have won twice. They have never met at the World Cup.
The Lucknow pitch was expected to aid spinners, and it hugely aided the Afghans, who boast a four-pronged spin attack, consisting of Rashid Khan, Noor, Mujeeb and Nabi. The spin plan worked for Afghanistan as Nabi ended up taking three wickets. To deal with the Afghan spin magic, the Dutch were expected rely a lot on the experience of their captain Edwards, but he was dismissed for a golden duck.
The Afghans have been on a historic run in India this year, and also boast a strong backroom staff. Their head coach is none other than England legend Jonathan Trott and they also have former India captain Ajay Jadeja as their team mentor. Due to Jadeja’s presence in the team, the side has enjoyed a certain advantage in terms of understanding the pitch and conditions, and also the opposition. Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Trott said, “I think Ajay obviously brings a lot of experience having played a lot of cricket in India. He’s always a good sounding board with regards to conditions and the venues and probably also the other subcontinent teams that we’ve played against. He has a lot of experience in that way, having played a lot against different countries.”
“So, he brings his vast experience to the players, but also, as for myself as a coach, as a good signing board with decision making and sort of planning going forward for each game, and also another good set of eyes on the players to see how they’re preparing for the matches and how their careers and talent is being utilized,” he further added.
Key takeaways from Netherlands vs Afghanistan Live Cricket World Cup match:
-Both sides have faced each other in nine ODIs, with Afghanistan leading 7-2.
-They have never faced each other in ODI World Cup history.
-Netherlands win toss, opt to bat.
-Sybrand Engelbrecht dismissed for 58 off 86 balls.
-3/28 for Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad takes two wickets for Afghanistan.
-Netherlands bowled out for 179 in 46.3 overs.
-Rahmat Shah registers half-century for Afghanistan in 180-run chase.