Quite surprisingly and even more amusingly, one thing that South Africa is scared of even more than the finals of tournaments is facing the Dutch. The Netherlands is the kryptonite for the Proteas. During the last edition of the T20 World Cup, South Africa was absolutely explosive. With everything set, every box checked. They had good openers, with a fierce middle order and a deadly bowling lineup. But once they came against teh Netherlands, everything went awry. The top-order scored almost at run-a-ball, the middle-order collapsed badly and the bowlers failed to continue the brilliant performance they have been carrying out throughout the tournament. You might think it was just a one-off upset. It was not. Because the Dutch did the same to their favourite opposition, South Africa during the ODI World Cup in 2023 as well.
South Africa has a decent team lined up for the mega event. From anchors to hitters, from pacers to spinners–they have not left any i’s undotted. Under the new captain, Aiden Markaram, they could quite well get rid of this humiliating trend of losing. The qualification scenario for the Proteas is quite straightforward. With two points already in their bag, all they need to do is avoid letting the other teams create an upset against them.
Team Overview:
The South African team would be elated to see Anrich Ntorje sprouting back to form after a dismal IPL season and the West Indies tour. Although the top order was not up to the mark against Sri Lanka, they hold the potential to play havoc with lineups any time. The openers specifically need to be particular about the kind of game they want to play. Quinton de Cock and Reeze Hendricks are not as explosive as the batters down the order and with middle-order batters who hit sixes for a living, both openers would only need to play their natural game while also making sure they don’t chew too many balls. Though at the Nassau County Stadium, they might not need to worry much about that.
The Netherlands achieved the target set by Nepal the other day in 18.4 overs with six wickets to spare. Evidently, they took the longer route home. That’s generally because the Dutch like to bat deep and build the innings slowly. This, although not a very ideal trait to have in a T20 team, will be a pro for them at the slow batting pitch in New York. The pacers undertook the assignment well against Nepal and they would need to do their best to shackle the fiery South African team.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Both teams have only faced each other twice and both times during the World Cup. Their first encounter came in the 2014 edition of the T20 World Cup where South Africa outdid the European team and their latest clash came in the last T20 World Cup edition.
Weather and Pitch Report:
The weather in New York will remain clear, with no chances of rain. Hence, we can expect a full game between both sides. The pitches at the New York Stadium have been under heavy criticism as they have blatantly favored bowlers over batters. This unbalanced offering to batters and bowlers has resulted in matches that could not quench the cricket thirst of fans. The variable bounce, owing to the green devils on the deck, has reportedly been shaved off after the ICC took notice of these pitches. Nevertheless, this game is going to be played on one of the middle strips which is likely to be less biased towards bowlers. The outfield is not very fast either, so those expecting to see a high scoring clash would need to wait longer.
Prediction:
The Netherlands are no fluke. They did South Africa twice in, in a matter of a year. In spite of that, South Africa have the ability to break this trend and win this game against the Dutch. But something tells us that this clash will be a close battle, whoever wins will need to show the world that they deserve this victory.
Where to Watch:
You can watch the games on the following platforms as per your region:
- India – Star Sports
- Pakistan – PTV Sports, Ten Sports, Myco (Live streaming) and Tamasha app (Live streaming)
- USA and Canada – Willow TV
- England – Sky Sports Network
- Caribbean – ESPN Caribbean
- New Zealand & Australia – Sky Sports NZ, Prime Video
- Other regions – SuperSport, Sirasa, CricLife, STARZPLAY
