Geelong: After defeating Namibia by 5 wickets in the T20 World Cup cricket series, the Netherlands team is close to the Super 12 round.
Batting first, Namibia managed to score only 121 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs in the match held at the Cardinalia Park in Geelong, Australia yesterday.
Namibia added 32 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in the powerplay. Dewan La Gock 0, Michael Van Lincoln 20, John Nicoll Lofty-Eaton 0. John Frylink, who then joined Stephen Bard, tried to build a partnership. Rolof van der Merwe separated the pair with 31 runs added. Stephenbard was dismissed for 19 off his ball.
John Freilink, who played a bit more aggressively, scored 43 runs off 48 balls, with a six and a boundary, before de Leete tried to hit the ball for a six. Captain Gerard Erasmus (16) also got out in the same over. Namibia managed to reach a somewhat respectable score as they added 27 runs in the last 3 overs. The team managed to hit only 7 boundaries. This proved the bowling of the Netherlands team. De Leete bowled 3 overs conceding 18 runs and taking 2 wickets.
Batting with a target of 122 runs, Vikramjit Singh and Magus O’Dowd gave a good start to the Dutch team. Vikramjit Singh was dismissed after scoring 39 runs off 31 balls with 2 sixes and 3 fours.
At one point, the Netherlands were strong, scoring 91 runs in 14 overs. It was expected that the team would win easily. But the Namibian bowlers grabbed 4 wickets in succession and there was excitement in the game.
Max O’Dowd 35, Tom Cooper 6, Colin Ackerman 0, Scott Edwards 1 run. In the last over bowled by Wise, the Dutch team needed 6 runs to win. De Leete hit the first ball for a boundary and added two runs in the 3rd ball as the Netherlands scored 122 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 19.3 overs and won by 5 wickets.
De Leete was unbeaten on 30 off 30 balls with 2 boundaries and Tim Pringle on 8. This is the 2nd win for the Netherlands team. The team defeated UAE by 3 wickets in their first match. With 4 points from the two wins, the Netherlands edge closer to qualifying for the Super 12 round.