Harare [Zimbabwe], June 26 : The Netherlands did the unexpected, defeating two-time world champions the West Indies in an ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers match on Monday at the Takashinga Sports Club on Monday.
The Netherlands produced one of their biggest wins in international cricket, beating the Caribbeans in the super over.
After the stupendous win, Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said, "It was a massive game for the Netherlands."
Batting first, West Indies put up an imposing target of 374 runs. Though faced with what appeared to be an insurmountable target, the Dutch stayed in the chase for the better part of their innings.
They ran the Windies close but ended up tying the West Indian score 374/6 at the end of 50 overs.
With the Netherlands at 374/9 at the end of 50 overs, the match was decided by a Super Over.
According to the official website of ICC, Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said, "We knew this was going to be a massive game for us. We will enjoy this game and we will be ready in a few days."
He further added, "I suppose it is still soaking in. I do not think I will ever play in a better game than this. I thought they batted sensationally. "
When asked about the score, Edwards said, "Sixty runs more than we have ever hit. But with the belief we have in this group and the way we have been playing cricket, we knew we had to bat well and that innings from Teja there and what Logan did at the end, were pretty special. A well-deserved victory."
Edwards expressed his views regarding the super-over, he said, "Logan was in a bit of a trance there. I was just trying to keep him calm. He just had his head down and he was smacking them for sixes."
On running between the wickets, Edwards said, "I think it is probably one thing we pride ourselves on. We have worked on being super fit so that we can keep doing that."
Logan van Beek turned things around towards the end of the game to give the Dutch a famous win over the West Indies. With this, the Netherlands carry two crucial points to the Super Six, while West Indies carry none.
In the super-over, Logan van Beek pulled off a class display with the willow against Jason Holder. He followed up his 28 off 14 at the end of the Dutch innings, with a 30 from six balls in the Super Over. He clubbed 4, 6, 4, 6, 6 and 4 off Holder's over.
Nicholas Pooran wasn't allowed to participate in the Super Over because of his absence from the field for an extended period of time. Johnson Charles and Shai Hope took strike. It was West Indies' nemesis van Beek, who starred with the ball as well and gave away merely eight runs, while also picking two wickets, to secure a famous Dutch win.
In the Netherlands innings, Vikramjit Singh and Max O'Dowd gave the Dutch courage with a positive start. They added 76 runs for the first wicket within the first 11 overs.
Wesley Barresi and Bas de Leede stitched a 38-run stand to stabilise the Dutch innings. Barresi eventually fell in the 22nd over, while trying to nudge a Akeal Hosein delivery behind the wicket.
Dutch lost another wicket in the 30th over in the form of de Leede (33), but Teja Nidamanuru and Scott Edwards came together to give the innings a much-needed boost. They added 88 runs in this period.
Teja brought up his century off three consecutive fours. This was his second hundred and came off merely 68 balls.
Scott Edwards nudged a ball straight back to Chase in the 45th over. This caught and bowled dismissal brought an end to their enterprising 143-run stand. West Indies then clawed their way back into the game with the ball. Holder's 46th oversaw the fall of Saqib Zulfiqar and Nidamanuru (111).
However, the game saw another turn with the eighth-wicket stand between Aryan Dutt and Logan van Beek. They added 39 runs off 18 balls, 21 off which came in the 49th over delivered by Chase, to bring the equation down to nine runs off the last over.
West Indies player Alzarri struck back, giving only two runs off the next three balls while also taking the wicket of Aryan Dutt. However, it seemed that the game had gone Netherlands' way when van Beek had taken two off the second last ball. Requiring only one to win, the Dutch batter failed to clear the in-field and was caught by Holder.
During the West Indies innings, Pooran, along with crucial knocks from Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope and Keemo Paul, helped West Indies post a solid total against the Netherlands.
The new opening pair of Brandon King and Johnson Charles played well in the powerplay. They hit as many as 13 boundaries in this period.
Together they added 101 runs for the first wicket before Charles (54) was trapped lbw by Vivian Kingma. However, King kept going from the other end and got decent support from Shamarh Brooks. He brought up his fifty in the 22nd over.
After losing their set batters, King (76) and Brooks (25), Skipper Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran expertly guided them through the tough phase. Their century partnership came off merely 73 balls.
However, guided by Pooran, West Indies managed to cross 350. Keemo Paul too played his role with a lively 46 from 25.
Pooran scored his third ODI hundred during this innings. His century came off merely 63 balls and was the third-fastest for West Indies in ODIs.
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