Afghanistan continued their impressive run in the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023, securing their third consecutive victory with another clinical display in both bowling and batting. They outclassed the Netherlands, who had opted to bat first, and easily chased down the modest target of 180, winning by seven wickets and maintaining their hopes of reaching the tournament's semifinals.
The Netherlands' innings got off to a shaky start as Afghanistan's bowlers bundled them out for just 179 runs in 46.3 overs. This impressive display set the stage for Afghanistan's successful run chase.
In the chase, Afghanistan's opening pair, consisting of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, provided a brisk start with boundaries flowing freely, keeping the run rate at around five-and-a-half per over. Gurbaz's dismissal, initially ruled as a wide but overturned after a review, didn't deter Afghanistan's progress. Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran then partnered to maintain a steady pace towards the target.
Though Ibrahim was dismissed by Roelof van der Merwe in the 11th over, Afghanistan continued to make steady progress, reaching 109 runs at the 20-over mark. Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi accelerated the scoring, pushing the run rate to 6.5 per over between overs 21 and 25. Finally, Afghanistan achieved victory in the 32nd over, thanks to their composed batting performance.
In the first innings, the Netherlands' struggles were compounded by erratic running, leading to the loss of four wickets due to run-outs, while Afghanistan's spinners claimed the rest of the wickets. Afghanistan's wicketkeeper, Ikram Alikhil, stood out with his exceptional work behind the stumps, being involved in three run-outs, a stumping, and two catches.
The Netherlands' opening pair of Wesley Barresi and Max O'Dowd faced early setbacks, as Mujeeb Ur Rahman dismissed Barresi in the very first over. O'Dowd and Colin Ackermann provided some stability to the innings, but O'Dowd's run-out, executed by Azmatullah Omarzai with a pinpoint throw, disrupted their partnership.
The Netherlands struggled to regain momentum as more run-outs disrupted their innings. Sybrand Engelbrecht's sharp single attempt ended with Ackermann's run-out, and skipper Scott Edwards was run out without scoring. Mohammad Nabi also contributed to the Dutch batting collapse, taking Bas de Leede's wicket behind the stumps.
Despite Engelbrecht's valiant effort, accumulating 58 runs, a rash single attempt led to his run-out in the 35th over, leaving the Dutch innings in tatters.
Afghanistan's clinical performance with both bat and ball propelled them to a convincing victory over the Netherlands and bolstered their chances of progressing to the knockout stages of the tournament. With three consecutive wins, they now sit at the fifth place in World Cup points table with eight points, boosting their chances of a knockout spot.
Brief scores:
Netherlands 179 all out in 46.3 overs (Sybrand Engelbrecht 58, Max O'Dowd 42; Mohammad Nabi 3-23, Noor Ahmad 2-31)
Afghanistan 181/3 in 31.2 overs (Rahmat Shah 52, Hashmatullah Shahidi 56 not out, Azmatullah Omarzai 31 not out; Logan van Beek 1-20)
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