South Africa vs Netherlands: South Africa pace battery piled early pressure on Netherlands after inviting them to bat first in the rain-hit contest in Dharamsala on Tuesday. The Netherlands were reduced to 140/7 in the 34th over but captain Scott Edwards has since led one of the most extraordinary fightbacks thus far in this tournament. He put up a partnership of 64 runs off just 37 balls with former SA star Roelof van der Merwe after which No.10 Aryan Dutt came in and bludgeoned three sixes. South Africa’s fielding has also become ragged since the carnage began and that has led to the Netherlands scoring 245/8. Edwards was unbeaten on 78 off 69.
Ealier, Kagiso Rabada struck twice, while Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee picked a wicket each as Netherlands lost four wickets with 50 on the board. Sybrand Engelbrecht and Teja Nidamanuru then added 32 runs before Rabada provided South Africa with another breakthrough. The match was reduced to a 43-over-per-side contest after play was delayed by almost two hours. Meanwhile, both sides have made one change each as Gerald Coetzee replaces Tabraiz Shamsi in Proteas playing XI. Logan van Beek, who missed the previous encounter due to hamstring, returns to Netherlands’ playing XI in place of Ryan Klein.
After displaying tremendous form, Temba Bavuma-led South Africa will look to keep their winning run intact. The Proteas have secured resounding victories in the two matches they’ve played so far, thus making their net run-rate (NRR) most superior among the ten teams. Netherlands, on the other hand, are yet to open their account and will hope for an upset like they did in the T20 World Cup last year.
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South Africa’s biggest takeaway from both their matches has been their batting. They started the tournament by amassing over 400 runs against Sri Lanka and comfortably breached the 300-run mark against Australia. The bowlers too have made significant contribution, especially in the match against Australia, who could only manage 177 before running out of wickets.
Netherlands will look to take some inspiration from Afghanistan, who stunned defending champions England on Sunday. However, the biggest concern remains the weather forecast for Tuesday, which indicates rainfall in patches at Dharamsala.
Here are the takeaways surrounding the South Africa vs Netherlands World Cup game:
– Start of play delayed due to rain in Dharamsala.
– South Africa have won both their matches at CWC 2023, Netherlands none.
– South Africa win toss, opt to bowl in overcast conditions.
– Both teams make one change each in playing XI.
-Match reduced to 43-overs a side due to rain delay
-South Africa pacers make an excellent start as Netherlands lost four wickets with 50 on the board
-Netherlands lost half their side with 82 on the board