Netherlands team (Source: Twitter/ICC)
Netherlands secured a hard-fought victory by three wickets over the United Arab Emirates in Match 2 of the T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday in Geelong.
Batting first, UAE were off to a slow start with openers Chirag Suri (12 off 20) and Muhammad Waseem playing carefully against an experienced Netherlands bowling unit.
Coming at number three, Kashif Dauf (15 off 14) could not generate enough momentum as well. Waseem played an anchor role to garner 41 off 47, before getting dismissed in the 16th over.
Bas de Leede (Source: Twitter/Cricket Netherlands)
In the end, Vriitya Aravind contributed 18 off 21, which paved the way for UAE to post a below-par total of 111 on the board. Bas de Leede was the pick of the bowlers for the Dutch team with three wickets, followed by Klaasen with two scalps.
It was a terrific start for the Netherlands chasing a low total, with Max O'Dowd leading the charge with his exquisite shots all over the park. However, after the dismissal of Max (23 off 18) in the sixth over, UAE held a firm grip against the Dutch batters.
The bowling unit, especially the pacers were immaculate with their line-length to contain runs and pick wickets at regular intervals. Junaid Siddique sent experienced Tom Cooper (8) and Roelof van der Merwe (0) in the same over to put the Netherlands under the pump.
However, the handy contributions from skipper Scott Edwards (16*) and Tim Pringle (15) helped Netherlands to seal a close victory, with one ball to spare.
Brief Scores:
United Arab Emirates-111/8
Muhammad Waseem 41 (47), Vriitya Aravind (18);
Bas de Leede 3/19, Fred Klaassen 2/13
Netherlands- 112/7 (19.5)
Max O'Dowd 23 (18), Colin Ackermann 17 (19);
Junaid Siddique 3/24, Aayan Afzal Khan 1/15
Result: Netherlands won by 3 wickets
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