Edwards shared his thoughts in the post-match presentation, saying, “It’s a bit disappointing. Firstly, we bowled and fielded well. We thought they were par. We thought we had a good chance at 2 for 120. Probably a bit of instinct. So many of our bats, bowl and spin. De Leede is a quality cricketer in all three departments. His innings was awesome, just needed someone to be with him. This is a game that got away. We know they have quality bowlers but they took wickets which held us back.”
He also mentioned Logan van Beek, who played a crucial role in the Netherlands’ World Cup journey but seemed to be dealing with an injury. “I think he was pretty keen to get out there. We’ll assess that and see where he’s at,” Edwards added.
Turning to the match itself, Pakistan had never been defeated when defending a total of 275 or more in ODIs, boasting 14 consecutive victories under such circumstances. After batting first, Pakistan set a target of 286 on the board, and their pace attack, led by Haris Rauf, secured an 81-run victory.
At the halfway point in the chase during the second innings, the Netherlands appeared comfortable, maintaining a run rate just above 5 and still having seven wickets in hand. However, Shadab Khan’s entry into the attack changed the course of the game.
He ended the 70-run partnership by dismissing Vikramjit for 52, while Haris Rauf removed Teja Nidamanuru and skipper Scott Edwards for scores of 5 and 0, respectively. Mohammad Nawaz later dismissed Bas de Leede for 67, giving Pakistan control over the match.
After Leede’s dismissal, Pakistan’s victory was all but assured, with their collective bowling effort guiding them to a comfortable 81-run win as they restricted the Netherlands to 205.
(With ANI inputs)