Netherlands A to T10 Final Day (14 October) as group winner
Published at 13 October, 2024Given the loss against Sweden on Saturday, it could be important that the Netherlands would not only win against Jersey, but also collect a bonus point. That just happened, as Sikander Zulfiqar hit the very last ball of the game for six. In the evening, Italy did the Netherlands a huge favour by beating Sweden and the Dutch in turn proved to be stronger than Norway. Because of that, the Netherlands A became the winner of the group after all.
Jersey came to 119/7, mainly through Beau Gurner (46 not out from 19 balls, dropped on 23). Ben Fletcher bowled a curious first over: 6 4 6 and then finished with 2-16. Arnav Jain took 1-9, Saqib Zulfiqar 1-12.
Clayton Floyd was caught on the first delivery of the Dutch innings, but Musa Ahmad (33 off ten) and Noach Croes (41 not out off 21 balls) laid the foundation for an easy victory. Sikander Zulfiqar (23 not out from five balls) had to be involved to earn a potentially important bonus point. Eleven runs had to be made off the last two balls. The penultimate ball went for six off the outside edge and the very last one – more convincingly – over the top. A spectacular end to a bizarre match: 121/5/7.
Norway
Meanwhile, Italy beat Sweden, which was the leader at the time. The Dutch had to beat Norway to win the group. Although the fielding against Norway was far from flawless – catching under floodlights is tough – Ben Fletcher (3-12) and Arnav Jain (1-19) managed to limit the Norwegians to 119/5. That sounds like a nice score, but in T10 cricket on a field with a 50-metre boundary it is well under par.
Musa Ahmad (36 off ten, 6x6!) and Noah Croes (34 retired off 17) made the perfect start and the brothers Sikander and Saqib Zulfiqar secured the win for Netherlands A.
On the final day, October 14, group winner Netherlands A will first play against Sweden. The winner of that game will qualify for Finals Week (October 15-19, 2024). The loser will get a rematch against the winner of the Norway vs Italy match.
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Photo credit: ECN Diana Oros
