On Saturday, the Netherlands defeated Bangladesh by 87 runs in the Cricket World Cup, moving up in the rankings above England. Scott Edwards scored a strong fifty, while Paul van Meekeren’s aggressive bowling helped take down the Asian team.

Bangladesh was in pursuit of 230 runs to secure a victory, but their efforts were hindered when they lost six wickets in just 18 overs. Van Meekeren’s impressive four-wicket haul and Bas de Leede’s crucial dismissal of Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 35 contributed to the collapse. The Tigers were ultimately all out for 142 runs in 42.2 overs.

The Dutch bowlers changed up their speed and were able to get some bounce from the slow pitch at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, intensifying the pressure on Bangladesh. De Leede (2 for 25) dismissed Mohammad Mahmudullah (20), putting them on track for a remarkable victory.

In the beginning, Edwards was fortunate and scored a 68 full of strokes that helped boost the Netherlands’ score after a rocky start. Sybrand Engelbrecht also contributed 35 runs and Logan van Beek’s late hitting (23 not out) helped them finish with a total of 229. Shoriful Islam (two for 51) and Mahedi Hasan (two for 40) took care of the remaining batters, but Bangladesh regretted not stopping the Dutch lower order from scoring 74 runs in the last 10 overs, which allowed them to reach a decent total.

The Netherlands’ captain Edwards won the coin toss and decided to bat, but they quickly lost two wickets within the first 14 balls. However, Wesley Barresi’s quick 41 runs, including eight fours, helped to recover some of the damage. Mustafizur Rahman (2-36) eventually got Barresi out with a poor shot. Colin Ackermann (15) was also dismissed soon after, and the Netherlands were lucky that Bangladesh’s sloppy catching allowed Edwards to survive twice in the 16th over with a score of zero.

Taskin Ahmed took two wickets for 43 runs. He then got De Leede out, who had scored 17 runs, and this left the Netherlands team in a difficult position at 107 for five. However, Edwards continued to play alongside Engelbrecht, and together they were able to reach Edwards’ second fifty of the tournament and his 15th overall. Mustafizur eventually dismissed Edwards with a wide yorker.

“I had a conversation with a few individuals and we discussed the possibility of achieving a score of 220 or more, which would put us in a good position in the game. It was satisfying to see our lower order players contribute to what we believed to be a strong total. I believe our bowling performance was excellent, and our fielding was even better, as we had struggled in that aspect in our previous matches.”

England, the defending champions, are now in 10th and last place in the standings.

Source: theguardian.com