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Cricket

Netherlands beat Oman in Super Six stage to keep World Cup dreams alive

On Monday in Harare, the Netherlands overcame Oman by 74 runs in the Super Six stage of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers. The Dutch scored 362-7 in 48 overs when batting first, however rain lowered Oman’s goal to 321 in 44 overs. Oman’s Ayaan Khan struck a century, but his side couldn’t keep up with their chase and only achieved 246-6 in 44 overs.

Vikramjit Singh of the Netherlands was named Player of the Game after scoring 110 off 109 with 11 boundaries. Another Dutch player, Wesley Baressi, came within three runs of achieving his century before being dismissed by Oman’s Bilal Khan.

Batting first, the Netherlands amassed a mammoth total of 362/7 against Oman in a must-win CWC Qualifier match, with to brilliant performances from Vikramjit Singh and Wesley Barresi. With 117 runs for the first wicket, Dutch openers Vikramjit Singh and Max O’Dowd established the groundwork for a big score.

Their measured opening stand lasted until the 22nd over, when Ayaan Khan eventually got rid of O’Dowd, who batted cautiously for 35 runs off 64 deliveries. Singh then joined forces with Barresi, adding another 80 runs to the Netherlands’ total before succumbing in the 34th over, just after reaching his maiden ODI century in 102 deliveries.

He hit 11 boundaries and two sixes on his way to a 109-ball 110, keeping his place as the Netherlands’ leading scorer. Following Singh’s departure, Barresi formed a brief partnership with skipper Scott Edwards (4) before receiving subtle assistance from Bas de Leede at the opposite end.

The fourth-wicket partnership of Barresi and de Leede added 57 runs to the total before the latter perished after scoring 39 runs in 19 deliveries. Barresi then raced and strengthened the Netherlands’ total in the latter half of the innings, but his superb effort ended heartbreakingly as he came just three runs short of his second ODI century. He scored 97 off 65 balls, hitting 10 boundaries and three sixes.

Saqib Zulfiqar’s quickfire 33 off 17 deliveries propelled the Netherlands to a huge total. Oman’s bowling attack was headed by Bilal Khan, who took three wickets but was costly, while Mohammad Nadeem took two. Set to chase a mammoth, Oman could only manage 246/6 in 44 overs when bad light forced an early end to the play, giving the Netherlands a 74-run victory in a must-win game. Ayaan Khan batted a brave century for Oman and stayed unbroken when the play was called off owing to poor lighting. He struck 11 boundaries and two sixes to score 105 off 92 balls.

Shoaib Khan (46 off 61) was Oman’s other notable contribution, with the remainder failing to score easily against the Dutch bowling assault. With 3/31, Aryan Dutt was the standout of the bowlers for the Netherlands, followed by Ryan Khan, who had two.

Scott Edwards, Netherlands captain stated: “That was the plan. Got the job done. We had a few good innings throughout. There was a period in the middle where we struggled. But the way Wes, Saqib and Bas finished off was incredible. We spoke to him before and told him this is where you could really stand up. Amazing to see him get his maiden hundred. They went pretty well through the middle and then we pegged it back. They gave up the chase a little and I am not sure what happened there at the end. As a unit, we were pretty good. Klein and Aryan were exceptional.  Obviously some results that have to go our way. We cannot do anything about it. We will prepare for our next game.”

Aqib Ilyas, Oman captain said: “I will give credit to their batters – the way they played at the start. We thought our bowlers were good but they survived the first six overs and then they carried on the momentum. Our fielding was also weak. They pushed us really and credit goes to their batting.  The talk was that we had to chase whatever was put in front of us. We always have a positive mindset. Unfortunately, they picked wickets at the start and we could not get there. Our plan was to execute our plans and focus on our strengths. We could not execute them properly and that is why they came up on top. He played really well and it is good to get a hundred in such games. Some new guys are in the side and Oman has come up. When you play such games, that is when you know what are the positives and where we are lacking.”

Farzeen K

Farzeen K

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