CWC Match Number 28, Netherlands VS Bangladesh played at Eden Gardens Kolkata, India
Netherlands 229 All Out (Scott Edwards 68, Wesley Barresi 41, Sybrant Engelbrecht 35, Mustafizur Rahman 2/36, Mahedi Hasan 2/40, Taskin Ahmed 2/43, Shoriful Islam 2/51)
Bangladesh 142 All Out in 42.2 Overs (Mehedy Hasan Miraj 35, Mahmudullah Riyad 20, Mustafizur Rahman 20, Mahedi Hasan 17, Tanzid Hasan Tamim 15, Paul van Meekeren 4/23, Bas de Leede 2/25)
Netherlands Won by 87 Runs
Player of the Match: Paul van Meekeren (4/23)
The CWC 2023 dreams of Bengal tigers got dashed being avalanched by Netherlands in an ultimate one-sided contest at historic Eden Gardens Kolkata on Saturday (October 28). On a slow low difficult wicket where balls gripped, turned, and bounced batting first Netherlands managed scoring 229 all out. Bangladesh in reply huffed and puffed scoring 142 in 42.2 overs. Netherlands winning by 87 runs humiliated Bangladesh.
Hundreds and thousands of Bangladeshis assembled at Eden Gardens with banners and festoons for cheering team tigers. Even locals cheered their next-door neighbors. But all these were of no avail. Bangladesh losing 5 of their six matches are on the way of their worst world cup performance. It now seems highly unlikely that they can win even one of their remaining three matches against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Australia. Impressive Netherlands won deservedly their second match of CWC 2023.
Deciding to bat Netherlands made disastrous start losing 4/63 in 13.4 and then 5/107 by the 27 overs. On a slow, low, gripping track Bangladesh bowlers strangled Netherlands batsmen. On a very difficult situation captain Edwards (68) pairing with Sybrant Engelbrecht (35) grinded and grafted adding 78 priceless runs for the 6th wicket partnership. Netherlands managed scoring 229 runs which many thought was well within the reach of Bangladesh.
Many Bangladeshi fans as well as their players talked about turning around from this match for salvaging pride. But very impressive Dutch bowling and fielding put paid to Bangladesh efforts. Neither the top order, nor their middle order could withstand the penetration and quality of Dutch bowling. Junior Tamim (15), Litton, Shanto (9), Shakib (5) and Mushfique (1) were blown away as Bangladesh lost as many as 6 wickets with only 70 runs on board. Mahmudullah (20) and Mahedi Hasan (15) tried to resurrect. But their efforts proved too little too late. Bangladesh was bundled out for 142 in 42.2 overs.
Only players and team management can explain how deep Bangladesh can nosedive in CWC 2023. Dreams of millions of adoring cricket admirers got dashed. There can be wins and losses in matches. But the manners and ways Bangladesh continues losing matches one after another are causes of great concern. Losing to major teams of the tournament had some explanations but how could Bangladesh lose so badly to an associate member country? What explanations can team captain Shakib and team management have? There is genuine doubt now that Bangladesh may not even win a single more match in the tournament. It is now a hopeless and disastrous situation.
Credit must be given to the Netherlands. This team rocked South Africa, one of the top performing teams of the tournament. Apart from its match against Australia, they competed well against all other opposition. Dutch players will cherish their performance. They proved that their qualification for the CWC 2023 above West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland was not a flash in the pan. They were not toddlers among the big fishes. Paul van Meekeren (4/23) was adjudged player of the match. But captain Edwards (68) leading his charge from the front was also instrumental. His field setting and use of limited resources were commendable.
BDST: 0718 HRS, OCT 29, 2023
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