NED vs SL: Aakash Chopra Believes South Africa Can Beat Australia, But The Netherlands...
Published - 18 Oct 2023, 03:08 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:20 AM
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra expressed his surprise as the Netherlands secured a remarkable victory over South Africa in the ICC World Cup 2023. Aakash Chopra highlighted the unexpected nature of this upset following a string of one-sided matches.
The Netherlands secured their first ODI victory against South Africa in Dharamshala on Tuesday, October 17. The Dutch successfully defended a 246-run target to clinch a 38-run victory in a rain-curtailed game. They also upset the same team at last year’s T20 World Cup.
Another Upset Has Happened – Aakash Chopra
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted how the Netherlands continued to be a challenging opponent for South Africa, emphasizing the unpredictability of cricket matches.
“They can beat Australia, but the Netherlands are beyond South Africa’s grasp. Another upset has happened. Matches are happening one-sided, but when beautiful upsets happen, the heart finds solace. The Netherlands have won and South Africa have lost,” said Chopra.
The Netherlands team posted a total of 245 runs in 43 overs. Scott Edwards played a crucial role in the team’s recovery from a challenging situation when they were at 140/7. Edwards scored unbeaten with a score of 78 off 69 deliveries, which included 10 fours and a six.
The Team Reached A Decent Score – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra lauded Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards for adding crucial partnerships with lower-order batters after a poor start with wickets falling early.
“They got the chance to bat first here. They got stuck at the start, whether it was Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi or Gerald Coetzee, the wickets were falling, and they were in difficulty,” Chopra further added.
“However, Scott Edwards was there and along with him was first Roelof van der Merwe and then Aryan Dutt. They strung together partnerships. The tailenders made contributions of 25-odd runs and Scott Edwards scored 78, and the team reached a decent score.”
The Netherlands batters dominated the South African bowlers in the last 11 overs, scoring more than 110 runs. Van der Merwe scored crucial 29 runs off 19 deliveries, and Aryan Dutt contributed with an unbeaten 23 runs off 9 balls.
The Dutch team currently occupies the nth place in the 10-team points table in the marquee tournament. The Netherlands will take on Sri Lanka in their next match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday, October 21.
Tagged:
Aakash Chopra ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Scott Edwards The Netherlands national cricket team
