With an astonishing 13-run victory over the Proteas in Adelaide on Sunday, it will be a huge Upset of this WC for South Africa. the Netherlands pulled off one of the biggest surprises in the history of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, knocking South Africa out of semi-final contention.
A huge Upset with this WC
The Netherlands had heroes all about them as they successfully defended their good total of 158/4 by limiting the Proteas to just 145/8 in response. Brandon Glover (3/9), an inexperienced seamer, was brilliant with the ball, while 37-year-old veteran Roelof van der Merwe made a catch worthy of the competition to remove the dangerous David Miller. Bas de Leede (2/25) also bowled effectively, and the all-rounder was given the last over after South Africa failed to score the 26 necessaries from the final six deliveries to secure victory.
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Questions all around on South Africa’s big loss
If South Africa expected to breeze through this semi-final match and saunter into the semi-finals, they were greatly misled, as the Netherlands matched them all the way. Keshav Maharaj (2/27) and Anrich Nortje (1/10) were in terrific touch with the ball, but some late hitting from Colin Ackermann (41 from just 26 deliveries) gave the Proteas a solid total to chase. And that total proved too much, with no South African batter making it beyond 25 in response, as the Netherlands pulled off one of the greatest upsets in T20 World Cup history.
Catches win Matches
We’ve previously discussed van der Merwe’s screamer during South Africa’s run chase, but there was also a fantastic catch made in the crowd during the Netherlands innings. In the penultimate over of the Netherlands’ innings, Ackermann sent two into the bleachers to push their total above 150, and it was a volunteer at the field who showed amazing poise to pull in an incredible one-hander.
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There will be New Twist in Group 2 Now
The Netherlands’ victory tightens things up in Group 2, with Pakistan and Bangladesh now in contention for a semi-final ticket, with the winner of their match later in the day in Adelaide sure to vault over South Africa and into the top two. India will be inspired by the Netherlands’ heroics, as Rohit Sharma’s team advances to the last four as a consequence of the surprise victory.