Twitter Reactions: Max O'Dowd, bowlers help the Netherlands end Zimbabwe's semi final hopes after comprehensive victory

Both Zimbabwe and the Netherlands are out of the T20 World Cup 2022.

By Vaishnavi Thiagarajan Iyer

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3 Min Read

Netherlands Cricket Team
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Netherlands Cricket Team. (Photo Source: Mark Brake-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

It was a dead rubber game for the Netherlands when they locked horns with Zimbabwe for the 34th match of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Adelaide Oval. The Netherlands, who had not won a single game in the Super 12 so far, managed to bag their first win, and the first two points, after defeating Zimbabwe by five wickets.

Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat first. It was a win-win situation for both captains as the Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards looked to bowl first. Unfortunately, Craig Ervine’s decision of batting first backfired as the entire top order fell within the powerplay. Thanks to Paul van Meekeren and Brandon Glover, Zimbabwe were left struggling at 20/3 after six overs.

It was then the partnership between Sean Williams and all-rounder Sikandar Raza which helped Zimbabwe survive the scare. The two kept going for almost six overs, and shared 48 runs for the fourth wicket partnership before Williams was dismissed by Van Meekeren. Milton Shumba, who joined Raza, was dismissed cheaply and Bas de Leede then picked up the in-form Raza to put a halt on Zimbabwe’s hitting.

Max O'Dowd powers Netherlands' batting

The batting unit came crashing down then, and Zimbabwe ended their innings scoring just 117 runs before being dished out. The Netherlands had a very low total to chase. The bowlers had done a brilliant job, and it was then the batters who carried the momentum forward. Stephan Myburgh and Max O’Dowd opened the innings for the Netherlands, but Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani managed to strike early and dismissed the former.

Max and Tom Cooper shared a brilliant 73-run stand for the second wicket, which helped the Netherlands dominate the second innings as well. Though Cooper was dismissed after a well-composed knock of 32(29), Max O’Dowd kept going and scored a major chunk of the runs, thereby claiming his half-century. After his dismissal, the middle-order batters did not have a big task. Thus, the Netherlands claimed their first win of the Super 12 after defeating Zimbabwe by five wickets.

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T20 World Cup 2024NetherlandsZimbabwe