South Africa pace battery piled early pressure on Netherlands after inviting them to bat first in the rain-hit contest in Dharamsala on Tuesday. The Netherlands were reduced to 140/7 in the 34th over but captain Scott Edwards has since led one of the most extraordinary fightbacks thus far in this tournament. He put up a partnership of 64 runs off just 37 balls with former SA star Roelof van der Merwe after which No.10 Aryan Dutt came in and bludgeoned three sixes. South Africa’s fielding also become ragged since the carnage began and that has led to the Netherlands scoring 245/8. Edwards was unbeaten on 78 off 69. South Africa vs Netherlands, Cricket World Cup 2023(AFP) South Africa seemed like they had gotten off to a good start to the chase with captain Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock putting up a steady opening stand. However, they collapsed from 36/0 to 44/4 between the eighth and 12th overs. Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller then seemed to provide stability but the former fell while the score was 89. Ealier, Kagiso Rabada struck twice, while Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee picked a wicket each as Netherlands lost four wickets with 50 on the board. Sybrand Engelbrecht and Teja Nidamanuru then added 32 runs before Rabada provided South Africa with another breakthrough. The match was reduced to a 43-over-per-side contest after play was delayed by almost two hours. Meanwhile, both sides have made one change each as Gerald Coetzee replaces Tabraiz Shamsi in Proteas playing XI. Logan van Beek, who missed the previous encounter due to hamstring, returns to Netherlands’ playing XI in place of Ryan Klein. After displaying tremendous form, Temba Bavuma-led South Africa are looking to keep their winning run intact. The Proteas have secured resounding victories in the two matches they’ve played so far, thus making their net run-rate (NRR) most superior among the ten teams. Netherlands, on the other hand, are yet to open their account and will hope for an upset like they did in the T20 World Cup last year. Here are the takeaways surrounding the South Africa vs Netherlands World Cup game: – Netherlands scored 245/8 with the match reduced to 43 overs-a-side due to rain – Netherlands were reduced to 82/5 in 21 overs and later 150/7 in the 27th – They, however, fought back from there with captain Scott Edwards and Roelof van der Merwe putting up 64 runs off just 37 balls – South Africa seemed to have gotten off to a steady start but the wheels came off for them when they collapsed from 36/0 to 44/4 between the eighth and 12th overs – Netherlands kept pegging away, dismissing Heinrich Klaasen and later David Miller who were giving South Africa and ended up recording their first World Cup win over a Test playing nation
