Reckless running plays tricks on the Dutch against Afghanistan
Published at 03 November, 2023In Lucknow, India, the Netherlands has not been able to take revenge for the 3-0 defeat against Afghanistan in the Super League in 2022. The Dutch managed 179 all out; Afghanistan had no trouble with this score. Four Dutch run outs – three of which were from settled batsmen– played into the hands of the Afghans.
As Vikram Singh was ill, Wesley Barresi opened the batting. Barresi, who played so well against Bangladesh, was out LBW in the first over.
Still, the Dutch got off to a great start with 66/1 after the first Powerplay. Max O'Dowd and Colin Ackermann made 70 runs in no time for the second wicket. Unfortunately for the Netherlands, due to a brilliant fielding play by Omarzai the aggressively batting O'Dowd (42) was inches short on a (second) run that initially didn't seem risky.
A second run out occurred in the nineteenth over. Engelbrecht called Ackermann (29) for a debatable run. One ball later, Scott Edwards left his crease when he wanted to sweep. When Bas de Leede was caught behind the wicket, it was suddenly 97/5.
The Afghan spinners Nabi, Rashid and Noor were economical as well as dangerous. Sybrand Engelbrecht was dropped off Rashid Khan on consecutive balls by first slip Nabi. Logan van Beek wasn’t so lucky: he ran past Nabi's arm ball and was stumped (134/7).
The only player who held out was Engelbrecht. He batted well for his 58, but became the fourth run out victim for the Dutch (152/8) when Roelof van der Merwe thought he saw a single. Of the top-5 batters, four were run out.
Despite Aryan Dutt’s and Paul van Meekeren’s best efforts, the Dutch were all out for 179 after 46.3 overs. Mohammad Nabi took 3-28; keeper Ikram Alikhil had two catches and one stumping and was involved in three run outs.
Afghanistan innings
In the sixth over, Scott Edwards successfully asked for a review of a ball down leg by Logan van Beek. The ball appeared to have touched the glove of Rahmannulah Gurbaz. The opening batsman walked off the field shaking his head after the unfortunate caught behind (27/1).
When Van der Merwe struck with his first ball (Ibrahim played on), the Netherlands must have cherished a glimmer of hope. Afghanistan, however, was in no hurry and worked patiently towards the target. Rahmat Shah (52) and Hashmatullah Shahidi, both previously successful at this World Cup, laid the foundation for an Afghan victory, although Saqib Zulfiqar caught Shah off his own bowling. In the 32nd over it was 181/3.
The Netherlands will play two more World Cup matches: on November 8 against England, which has already been eliminated, and on November 12 against India, which has already qualified for the semi-finals.
Photo credit: ICC/Getty
