Lucknow: Afghanistan, having already secured three victories, now relies solely on its performance to reach its first-ever World Cup semifinals. In their 34th ODI match, they faced the Netherlands, a team known for punching above their weight. Netherlands captain Scott Edwards won the toss and chose to bat.
The Afghan team, led by the talented Mujeeb Ur Rahman, struck early by dismissing the Dutch opener, Wesley Barresi, in the very first over, with Barresi scoring just one run off four balls. However, Max O’Dowd, partnered with Colin Ackermann, initiated a recovery for the Netherlands. It appeared that O’Dowd was on track for a half-century, but a strategic move by the Afghan captain saw Mohammad Nabi taking the ball in the 12th over.
O’Dowd attempted to take on Nabi but was brilliantly dismissed by a direct hit while trying to steal a double, leaving the field with 42 runs off 40 balls. A run-out in the 18th over resulted in Ackermann departing after contributing 29 runs off 35 balls. In the next delivery, captain Edwards (0) was dismissed.
The Netherlands continued to struggle as Bas de Leede (3) and Saqib Zulfiqar (3) lost their wickets to Nabi and Noor Ahmad. The Dutch team managed to regain their momentum with a significant win against a beleaguered Bangladesh, making them the only team to defeat South Africa in this tournament.
These two teams have met in nine ODIs in the past, with Afghanistan emerging victorious in seven encounters and the Netherlands winning twice. However, they have never faced each other in the World Cup’s history, adding an extra layer of intrigue to this matchup. Both teams are vying for a spot in the World Cup semifinals, making this contest even more critical in the context of the tournament.
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