‘A win will increase the grant from ICC which is their lifeline’ - Kobus Olivier praises Netherlands’ shocking win against South Africa

India beat Zimbabwe in the last Super 12 group-stage fixture to conclude the final four at the T20 World Cup 2022 tournament. India’s win helped them top the Group 2 table with eight points and Pakistan beat Bangladesh to finish in the second position. But Netherlands shocked the cricketing world with an impressive win against mighty South Africa at Adelaide Oval on Sunday (November 6).

South Africa were placed in the second position with five points before facing the Dutch side. They needed a win to qualify for the semi-final round but the Proteas suffered a surprise win against Netherlands who rank 17th in the current ICC T20 chart. Netherlands scored a challenging 158/4 total while batting first with Colin Ackermann scoring unbeaten 41 runs. Then pacer Brandon Glover took three wickets to restrict South Africa to just 145/8 total to secure a 13-run win.

A grant is a lifeline for the smaller countries: Kobus Olivier

Netherlands, who were already out of the race for the semi-final spot, finished their World Cup campaign in the fourth position with four points from five games. They also beat Zimbabwe in their previous game and Namibia and UAE in the first-round group-stage fixtures. The Dutch fans will be feeling proud of their team’s outings in the mega tournament and will be hoping for similar performances in the near future.

Their performance also impressed Kobus Olivier, the CEO of Ukraine Cricket Federation, who highlighted that their win against South Africa can prove vital. He pointed out that the increase in grant money will boost Dutch cricket to develop players.

“For Dutch cricket, the result was absolutely vital today. By qualifying for the next World Cup, their grant will be increased by a lot of money and that is a lifeline for the smaller countries. They need more money to develop cricket and to get more cricket for their players. This game was as important for Dutch cricket today as it was for South Africa to qualify for the semi-final round,” Kobus Olivier said in a BatBricks7 Run Ki RunNeeti post-match show on CricTracker.

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