Afghanistan has achieved its third consecutive clinical run-chase, establishing itself as a formidable team. A total of 179 was always going to be insufficient on a decent batting surface, and the Netherlands were in a tough spot halfway through the game.
Engelbrecht’s fifty prevented a more dismal situation for the Dutch. Gurbaz was dismissed cheaply by van Beek, and Zadran fell to van der Merwe without making a significant impact. However, Afghanistan didn’t feel any pressure from the scoreboard.
Rahmat Shah displayed fluent batting right from the beginning, partnering effectively with Shahidi. They both scored runs quickly, essentially batting the Netherlands out of the game. Although the bowlers gave their best effort, they didn’t have enough runs to defend.
It’s possible that the Netherlands’ decision to bat first after winning the toss didn’t work in their favour. The ball played nicely under the lights, and dew also had an impact, which favoured the Afghan batters. Rahmat Shah secured his third consecutive half-century, although he couldn’t lead his team to victory.
Shahidi, on the other hand, stood strong, remained unbeaten with a fifty, and guided Afghanistan to a convincing win. Special recognition goes to the Afghan spinners, particularly Nabi, who delivered his best performance of the tournament. Mohammad Nabi was declared player of the match for his tremendous bowling effort in the match. Earlier, the Netherlands’ Scott Edwards won the toss and decided to bat first against Hashmatullah Shahidi’s Afghanistan in the 34th match of the ODI World Cup 2023 at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Friday. Afghanistan displayed a remarkable performance, causing the Netherlands to struggle and finish with a below-par score. Mujeeb swiftly dismissed Barresi in the very first over. However, ODowd and Ackermann adopted an optimistic approach, forming a 50-run partnership that stabilized the Netherlands’ innings.
Just when things were looking promising for them, the match took a dramatic turn. The Dutch team lost five wickets for just 40 runs, and their scoring rate also dropped significantly. Three of these dismissals were due to run-outs, while the other two were caught behind, putting the Netherlands in a precarious position.
Afghanistan had an opportunity to seal the game during this period, but Engelbrecht was dropped twice on consecutive deliveries. It’s worth noting that these were challenging chances, but fortunately for Afghanistan, they didn’t prove costly. Despite Engelbrecht’s valiant effort and surpassing his fifty, another misjudgment led to his dismissal, marking the fourth run-out of the innings. The lower-order batsmen couldn’t contribute much, and the Netherlands were bowled out for 179. Afghanistan’s four spinners put up a stellar performance, with Nabi and Noor impressively accounting for five wickets together.
