The Netherlands sprang a surprise on South Africa once again as they stunned the Proteas in the World Cup in the second big upset on Tuesday (Oct 17). The ODI World Cup contest played in Dharamsala refreshed memories of the Netherlands’s win against South Africa in the 2022 T20 World Cup while also adding spice to the top-four race.

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The 38-run win for the Netherlands is their first in the ODI World Cup since March 2007 when they got the better of Scotland while South Africa scrambled to their first defeat in the ongoing edition.

Orange army strikes again

Heading into the match, South Africa beat former champions Sri Lanka and Australia as they enjoyed top form. However, that purple patch did not last against the Netherlands as they proved their nemesis yet again. Tasked to chase 246 runs in 43 overs in a rain curtailed match after showers in the initial hours, South Africa’s batting order failed to deliver as they lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for 207.

Having started the chase, South Africa lost four wickets in the first 12 overs and were reduced to 44/4 with top batters Temba Bavuma (16), Quinton de Kock (20), Rassie van der Dussen (4) and Aiden Markram (1) failing to deliver. The Dutch continued their lethal touch with the ball as Logan van Beek and Roelof van der Merwe were the architects-in-chief of South Africa’s downfall.

Earlier, the Orange Army recovered from 82/5 to post 245/8 as skipper Scott Edwards (78) was helped by the tail-enders. Roelof van der Merwe (29), Aryan Dutt (23), and Teja Nidamanuru (20) played crucial hands after the top order faced collapse. Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, and Kagiso Rabada all ended with two wickets each for South Africa.

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This also remains one of the biggest wins for the Netherlands in World Cup history, having beaten both England and South Africa in the T20 version.

South Africa will now look to bounce back in their next match when they take on defending champions England in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Saturday (Oct 21). On the same day, the Netherlands will take on Sri Lanka, with the Dutch starting the match above them in the points table. Interestingly, both Sri Lanka and Netherlands qualified through the World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe and will take centrestage in Lucknow.

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