Afghanistan clinched a crucial victory over the Netherlands, boosting their standing in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. With this win, Afghanistan collected two essential points to bolster their knockout stage aspirations.
Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi proved to be the heroes of the day, contributing significantly to Afghanistan’s success. They orchestrated a resilient partnership of 74 runs for the third wicket, ensuring that their team posted a formidable total. Despite early wickets, the Netherlands struggled to contain Afghanistan, primarily due to their modest performance in the first innings.
The Dutch team faced challenges with erratic running that led to the loss of four key batters, while Afghanistan’s spinners skillfully secured the remaining wickets. Keeper Ikram Alikhil showcased remarkable skills behind the stumps, being instrumental in three run-outs, a stumping, and two catches.
This victory marked Afghanistan’s third consecutive win, propelling them to the fifth position on the World Cup table with eight valuable points, significantly enhancing their chances of advancing to the knockout stage.
Afghanistan’s opening pair, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, set the tone with a brisk start, consistently finding the boundaries as they maintained a scoring rate of about five and a half runs per over. This momentum continued until Gurbaz was dismissed, initially ruled as a wide, but overturned after a review by Scott Edwards.
Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran continued the charge, ensuring Afghanistan maintained a steady pace toward their target. Although Ibrahim fell to Roelof van der Merwe, Afghanistan remained on course.
By the 20-over mark, Afghanistan had reached a solid 109 runs, and Rahmat and Hashmatullah Shahidi accelerated their scoring. Despite Rahmat’s dismissal in the 23rd over, Afghanistan continued to score at a rate of 6.5 runs per over between overs 21 and 25. Ultimately, Afghanistan achieved victory in the 32nd over.
Scott Edwards won the toss and chose to bat first, while Afghanistan’s skipper, Hashmatullah Shahidi, expressed a preference for batting on the wicket.
For the Netherlands, Vikramjit Singh and Shariz Ahmad were replaced by Roelof van der Merwe and Saqib Zulfiqar. Wesley Barresi opened the innings in place of Vikramjit. Naveen-ul-Haq was replaced by Noor Ahmad, introducing a four-pronged spin attack for Afghanistan.
Netherlands’ new opening pair did not last long, as Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s precision dismissed Barresi in the first over, achieving his 100th ODI wicket.
Despite the early setback, the Dutch batters, Max O’Dowd and Colin Ackermann, found their rhythm and kept the boundaries coming. However, the Netherlands’ scoring rate dropped as new batters tried to settle in.
A sequence of run-outs further derailed the Netherlands’ innings. Sybrand Engelbrecht’s sharp single attempt led to the run-out of Ackermann, and the very next ball saw skipper Scott Edwards run out for a duck.
Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi soon had Bas de Leede caught behind, leaving the Netherlands at 112/5 at the midway point of the innings. The Netherlands struggled to build a substantial total, with erratic strokes leading to the downfall of their batters.
Afghanistan secured the win when Engelbrecht was run out in the 35th over, ending the Dutch challenge.
Both the Netherlands and Afghanistan remain in contention for a semi-final spot in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, following their recent victories. The Netherlands, with wins against Bangladesh and South Africa, need to maintain their momentum against Afghanistan and win their remaining matches to secure a spot in the knockout stage.
Afghanistan, with three wins in their last four matches, is in a strong position, but they must continue to perform well, with challenging matches against Australia and South Africa ahead. Net run rate will play a crucial role in determining semi-final berths, and both the Netherlands and Afghanistan are eager to secure a healthy boost in this regard.
This match is the 10th ODI encounter between the two teams, with the Netherlands winning the first 50-over clash in 2009 and another victory in 2012. However, Afghanistan won all three of their ODI meetings at the start of last year, setting high targets while batting first. As the Cricket World Cup approaches its crucial stages, the stakes are higher than ever.
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