South Africa survive scare against Netherlands at T20 World Cup

South Africa defeated Netherlands by four wickets in a close encounter at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York in the 2024 T20 World Cup to avenge their loss in the previous edition of the tournament two years ago.

The win, however, did not come without a scare.

The South Africans had restricted Netherlands to 103/9 in 20 overs with right-arm paceman Ottneil Baartman picking 4/11 and Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje taking two wickets apiece. Sybrand Engelbrecht scored 40 off 45 balls.

The Proteas then chased the total in 18.5 overs, reaching 106/6 with David Miller top-scoring with 59 not out off 51 balls. Tristan Stubbs made 33. Both Miller and Stubbs added 65 for the fifth wicket.

Their crucial partnership came after the Dutch had reduced the Proteas to 12/4 in fifth over.

“The match was extremely close. In a score of 110, an over can change the game,” said Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards after the match.  

“Credit to South Africa - they bowled extremely well - and the way those two batted in the end. [It's about] just getting an understanding of how the wicket plays. We pride ourselves on playing good cricket over the last few years. Right until that last six, I felt we were one wicket away. It was a tough wicket to start on,” he added.

South African skipper Aiden Markram acknowledged his team’s fighting spirit.

“We knew they were always going to up for a scrap. It's a game of cricket ultimately. History before this game was obviously they beat us. It's a mental block. We were under pressure again today. If you look at 19 [12] for 4, to squeeze the win out of that position is good for the team,” said Markram.

Netherlands had beaten South Africa by 13 runs in November, 2022 at Adelaide Oval.  

T20 World Cup, Cricket, Netherlands, South Africa