The stunning loss ends South Africa’s World Cup as the Netherlands pulls off the legendary victory.
And the disappointment at being eliminated from yet another World Cup while having complete control.
South Africa will have to cope with all of that and more following their heartbreaking loss in Adelaide, which may have been larger than anything they have recently experienced on the cricket pitch.
However, after directing a crucial moment in their cricket history, the Netherlands will rejoice vigorously and for a very long time.
If winning on Sunday over one of the tournament favourites was significant, qualifying for the Super 12s would be much more significant since a top-four finish in the group would ensure automatic qualification for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
All of Pakistan and Bangladesh would have joined the Netherlands in celebrating. Because Netherlands’ victory also ensured India’s qualification for the final four, the match between those two teams later in the afternoon—which may have been abandoned had South Africa prevailed—was changed into a knockout match to determine the second semi-finalists from Group 1.
Ironically, it was Roelof van der Merwe, a Johannesburg native who represented South Africa in two tournaments (2009 and 2010), who delivered the game-changing catch that struck fear into the hearts of his countrymen.
Van der Merwe sprinted over 20 yards back, from short fine-leg towards square leg, to cling on to a catch from David Miller off Brandon Glover, with South Africa requiring 47 off 29. He covered a lot of territories while gazing directly into the sun, and then, as the ball was twirling in the air, he pulled off a blinder.
The person who had been in the way of the Netherlands’ improbable victory was no longer there. There was both mayhem and magic in what came next. While South Africa collapsed, pride and fervour erupted in the Netherlands. For the squad in orange, it was a triumph to savour; for the men in green, it was a difficult pill to chew.
An upward Myburgh boost
With his heavy hitting up front, Stephan Myburgh launched the Netherlands’ assault. He made his intentions known by hitting Kagiso Rabada twice on the rise to the extra-cover boundary in the second over.
He displayed excellent aggressive batting over the course of the following 20 minutes, appearing unfazed by the reputations of Rabada and Anrich Nortje as he pulled, whipped, cut, and drove his way to seven boundaries. He had established a solid foundation at 56 for no loss in eight overs. Max O’Dowd was eager to turn the strike over and play the ideal second foil even as Myburgh gave it his all.
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Cooper amplifies it.
With all of his BBL playing experience, Tom Cooper kept the pace even though the Netherlands fell to Myburgh in a slog sweep. Cooper utilised the shorter boundaries to his advantage as he punished Aiden Markram and Rabada after being let off on 11 when he laid down a difficult return opportunity. But he made money from more than simply the draw. Cooper reverse-swept Keshav Maharaj for six over a deep point where there were no boundary riders as the fields were positioned for the shot. He was starting to pose a threat, but South Africa retaliated by quickly taking O’Dowd and him out of the game.
Big Finish
The Netherlands were sluggish going into the final four overs, and Colin Ackermann was having timing issues. He needed to rapidly establish his hitting range because he was on 9 out of 11. Cooper and Bas de Leede’s wickets were ineffective. However, Netherlands was able to regain the initiative as Rabada was struck for three fours in the 19th over, including a superb reverse scoop by Scott Edwards. By smashing two sixes in the last over, bowled by Wayne Parnell, Ackermann completed the ideal finish, finishing with 41 not out of 26. The Netherlands scored 31 runs in the final two overs, giving them the lead going into the interval.
The no-power powerplay in South Africa
However, left-arm seamer Fred Klaassen continued to his strengths, varied his lengths and was deadly precise, to thread together 12 dot balls in his opening three overs, all of them in the powerplay. Quinton de Kock smashed a cover drive off the second ball. De Kock’s dismissal, who nicked behind while charging down the course, was a bonus. When Temba Bavuma played all around a full delivery after moving a long distance over, he was the next to go for a run-a-ball 20. Temba Bavuma has been under pressure to score every time he has batted. He witnessed the flattening of his leg stump as South Africa fell to 39 for 2.
On-air duo Glover and van der Merwe
Brandon Glover, a seamer, made his first-class cricket debut for Boland six years ago with the hopes of earning a spot with South Africa. The hand of fate would have other plans. Three years after making his T20I debut for the Netherlands, Glover had his most significant performance yet, picking off three powerful batsmen, including the dangerous Miller and set Rilee Rossouw, to help the Netherlands win the match. In the middle, Myburgh, who had just let off Miller at backward point, managed to hold on to a superb catch at extra cover, giving the Netherlands the wicket of Markram as well. For South Africa, everything had really fallen apart. Glover and de Leede maintained their stances.
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