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In the 15th ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match, South Africa face the Netherlands at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on a rain-affected Tuesday.
The Proteas have maintained their unbeaten record in the tournament so far and have successfully limited the Netherlands to a total of 245/8 in the match that has been reduced to 43 overs per side due to the rain.
Netherlands’ early struggle and late brilliance with the bat
After a rocky start, the Dutch team staged a remarkable comeback to achieve a competitive total. Despite losing five wickets early in the innings, their skipper, Scott Edwards, showcased exceptional batting prowess, amassing an impressive 78 runs from 69 deliveries, with crucial support coming from the lower-order batters.
Notably, Aryan Dutt played a significant role towards the end, making a substantial impact by contributing 23 runs in just nine deliveries, punctuated by three powerful sixes. Roelof van der Merwe also played a pivotal role, crafting a valuable 29-run inning from 19 balls, further enhancing their commendable total.
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Van der Merwe’s classy delivery to dismiss Temba Bavuma
In the first delivery of the tenth over, the versatile all-rounder Van der Merwe executed a skilful round-the-wicket delivery. He bowled a beautifully flighted ball that pitched perfectly on a good length right on the stumps. The ball then exhibited a subtle drift through the air and spun sharply off the pitch, completely eluding the South African skipper, Temba Bavuma‘s defensive stroke. Bavuma had leaned forward in an attempt to defend but was beaten by the sharp turn, resulting in the ball crashing into the leg stump with a resounding impact.
Here is the video:
Meanwhile, South Africa find themselves in a challenging situation as they endeavour to chase a target of 246 runs. They lost their top-order batters early in the innings and are currently at 82/4 after 18 overs.