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The Netherlands pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 by defeating South Africa in a thrilling encounter at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday. The match, which was reduced to 43 overs per side due to rain, saw the Dutch team emerge victorious, leaving South Africa stunned.
Proteas’ bowling performance
In a tense start, South Africa, after winning the toss and electing to bowl, managed to reduce the Dutch side to 82/5 within 21 overs. It seemed as though the Netherlands might struggle to cross the 150-run mark from that point. The Proteas appeared to be in control of the game.
Scott Edwards and lower-order fight back
However, the Dutch skipper, Scott Edwards, played a captain’s knock, remaining unbeaten on 78. Along with the lower-order batters, he defied South Africa’s plans and helped the Netherlands post a respectable total of 245 runs in their 43 overs, a total that proved to be more than competitive.
South African struggles
In response, South Africa had a challenging task ahead. The team kept losing wickets at regular intervals, and eventually, they were bundled out for 207 runs in 43.5 overs, falling short by 38 runs. David Miller and Keshav Maharaj were the only South African batters who managed to cross the 40-run mark.
Also READ: World Cup 2023 – Twitter goes wild as all-round Netherlands upset South Africa in Dharamsala
Temba Bavuma reveals reasons behind defeat
After the shocking defeat, South Africa’s captain, Temba Bavuma, shared his insights during the post-match presentation. Bavuma noted that South Africa had the Netherlands at 112 for 6 and emphasized that they should not have allowed their opponents to surpass the 200-run mark. He acknowledged that there were shortcomings in their bowling and fielding departments that needed addressing.
“I think we had them at 112 for 6. We shouldn’t have allowed them to go past 200. We dropped the ball there. Still we were confident with the chase. But they were able to extract some deficiencies in our batting department. We were clinical against Australia. We could have controlled the extras,” said Bavuma during the post-match chat.
Despite the devastating loss, Bavuma reassured fans that the campaign was far from over. He also acknowledged the impressive display from the Dutch team.
“The fielding wasn’t up to the standard. Not the same standard we had against Australia. We need to have some conversations with the boys. You got to let the emotion to seep in. It will hurt. Our campaign is not over by any stretch of the imagination. That was a proper display from them. They put us under pressure throughout. Good luck to them,” added Bavuma.
