World Cup Qualifiers 2023 | Solo Symphony - Bas de Leede's Extraordinary Cricket Exploits
Bas de Leede played a sole role in taking Netherlands to the World Cup 2023 (Source: Twitter)
Throughout the ICC World Cup Qualifiers we have seen some amazing thrillers and wonderful innings. One such innings was in the Queen Sports Club in Bulawayo where Netherlands all round sensation Bas de Leede single handedly guaranteed his side qualification in ODI World Cup 2023 by taking an incredible five wicket haul and scoring an amazing century which resulted in Netherlands beating Scotland by 4 wickets.
De Leede has been one of the big heroes of the Dutch in this tournament. The 23 year old young powerhouse has scored 285 runs in 7 games to go with his 15 wickets which makes him the leading wicket taker in his side. After the last match he became the first Netherlands player to take 5 wickets and score a 100 in the same match and the fourth player overall in one day cricket.
Bas de Leede Dominates Scottish bowlers
His boundaries pitch map analysis
The Netherlands were struggling at 108-4 after 24 overs which did not only make a win difficult but qualification chances were looking slim since they needed another 170 runs in 120 balls at 8.5 per over. This makes De Leede's knock a significant part of the match as his explosive 123 runs from 92 balls with a strike rate of 133.7 consisting of seven fours and five Sixes was the deciding factor of the match.
We could see through his innings that he was not afraid to take any risks at all. Through the pitch map we can see that De Leede cashed on deliveries that were length or slightly fuller. The most interesting thing about his innings is that most of the deliveries he has smashed around the park leaving out the couple of half volleys in the middle were good length deliveries on the stumps or just outside off stump, which is not really a bad plan by the scottish bowlers in terms of cramping the batsman for room but he showed complete commitment to play the big shots which were required in that period.
This approach by De Leede put a lot of pressure on the bowlers to bowl those one odd half volleys that were easier for him to hit through the line. Apart from his match winning century in the first innings we should not forget De Leede’s contribution with the ball. His figures of 5/52 in his full quota of 10 overs made a massive difference in Scotland's total as at one point a target of 300+ was looking possible with McMullen and Berrington at the crease.
De Leede showed us a brilliant display of bowling by mixing his pace and bowling an attacking line and length. In spite of not being that quick with his pace being around 130-135 kmph he has taken most of his wicket of the short delivery which he used really well against the Scottish batters. A big example were the wickets of Mcbride and Watt who were cramped for room and beaten for pace. We also have to appreciate his excellent accuracy in the death which was effective in getting the big wickets of Scotland’s skipper Berrington and Chris Greaves who were forced to play down the wrong line.
Conclusion
Throughout this tournament Bas De Leede has been the trump card for Dutch in these qualifiers with both bat and ball. Players like him are not only capable of scoring big runs but also break partnerships as well which makes him a dangerous contender for any opposition going forward in the World Cup. I think he is going to be a major star for the Netherlands in the future.
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