South Africa were handed a massive 38-run defeat by the Netherlands in a major upset in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala, on Tuesday.
The Proteas, who were ranked third before this match with a massive 2.36 net run rate (NRR), are still in the same position but their NRR has now decreased to 1.385.
Here is how the World Cup points table look like after the Netherlands’ first win:
The Netherlands, who had previously stunned Africa in the T20 World Cup 2022, once again proved to be a formidable opponent for South Africa, creating problems for Temba Bavuma’s men right from the beginning of their innings.
South Africa had a disastrous start, finding themselves at 44-4 in just 11.2 overs, with reliable batters such as Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, and Aidan Markram all returning to the pavilion.
Scott Edwards’ team remained dominant, exerting pressure on the Proteas throughout their chase of the 246-run target.
After the destructive batter David Miller was dropped at 23 runs by Bas de Leede, there was a glimmer of hope that the left-handed batter would guide them closer to the target. However, Miller's innings was cut short by a quicker delivery from Logan van Beek, ending hopes for his side. The Proteas were eventually all out for just 207 runs.
In their innings, the Netherlands faced a collapse similar to their opponents, being 50-4 in 15.1 overs and losing wickets at regular intervals.
At one point, it seemed that the entire team might be bowled out before reaching the 150-run mark. However, their skipper, Scott Edwards, played a determined and valiant knock, scoring 78 off 69 balls with 11 boundaries while batting at number seven. His effort helped his side post a competitive total of 245 runs in 43 overs.
Edwards received support from quick knocks by Roelof van der Merwe (29 off 19) and Aryan Dutt (23 off 9).
