Netherlands

The Proteas simply needed to beat the associate nation to secure their spot in the semi-finals but allowed the Netherlands to score 158-4, including 45 off the final four overs, before falling apart in the chase, to be 145-8

South Africa's slip-up means the winner of the Pakistan-Bangladesh game at the same venue in fine conditions will finish second in Group 2 and take on Group 1 winners New Zealand in the semis at the SCG on Wednesday. The Proteas' loss also means India go through and top Group 2.

Player of the Match Colin Ackermann was heroic for the Dutch with an unbeaten 41 from 26 balls, helping their late charge, before Brandon Glover (3-9) and Fred Klaassen (2-20) starred with the ball.

South Africa's pursuit never got going after the loss of openers Quinton de Kock (13) and Temba Bavuma (20), but they seemed in a winning position at 90-3 in the 13th over, needing 68 off 46.

Yet it all fell apart for the Proteas with wickets tumbling, as Klaassen had Aiden Markram caught by Stephan Myburgh before Glover grabbed two quick wickets to dismiss potential game-winner David Miller for 17 and Wayne Parnell for a duck. From there, South Africa's tail could not get them near the target.

Van der Merwe delivers the key moment

Roelof van der Merwe's brilliant catch running backwards to dismiss danger man Miller was arguably the moment of the match. South Africa had six wickets left, needing 47 off 29 balls, when Miller mis-timed a hook shot, which was lofted towards fine leg but the 37-year-old never took his eyes off the ball and pulled off a diving effort to re-claim any momentum the Proteas had at that stage.

Another South African World Cup disaster

South Africa's loss and subsequent elimination will be tough to swallow. The Proteas, who have never made a T20 World Cup final and have an inglorious past in the 50-over version, appeared destined for the last four for the first time since 2014. Instead, they suffered their first-ever loss to the Netherlands across any format.

Ronaldo has altered his goal celebration as of late, replacing his famous "Siu" with a "peace of mind" gesture, seemingly in response to his trouble at Manchester United this season.

It is a celebration that has been copied at the T20 World Cup by South Africa paceman Parnell, standing with his eyes closed, fingers crossed in front of his chest and his head rolled back.

Parnell has taken five wickets so far in Australia, helping South Africa to two victories in Group 2. Ahead of their final match of the pool stage against the Netherlands on Sunday, the Proteas sit in second place, and a victory over the Dutch would guarantee their place in the last four.

And in his pre-match press conference, Parnell explained how he takes inspiration from one of the world's finest footballers.

He said: "It's the Ronaldo celebration. He has always been one of my favourite footballers, and I've obviously followed his career quite closely.

"And I think I've kind of taken on some stuff that he has been going through, you know, as a professional athlete and someone that's very competitive and passionate about doing well.

"That's something that I've always wanted to do as well is contribute to the team's success."

It is not all about emulating an idol, though. For Parnell, it is also about enjoying playing in front of crowds again following the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's just about having fun as well," Parnell added, "I think, you know, we're very lucky to be playing this sport and to be able to do it on this world stage.

"Obviously, there's no COVID, so we have fans back, and it's just about entertaining everyone."

Looking ahead to South Africa's must-win game on Sunday, Parnell said: "I think now it's just really simple. If you actually look at it, tomorrow is basically a quarter-final. Then obviously if we win that, we go to a semi-final. If we win that, we go to the final.

"In a way it's actually worked out well where we are under a certain amount of pressure to obviously get through, but I always like to look at it from a positive point of view where it's basically a quarter-final. It's just about winning it really."

Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka suffered a shock defeat to Namibia in their first game of the tournament, but avoided an early exit by responding with victories over the UAE and Netherlands.

A brilliant knock of 79 from 44 balls by man of the match Kusal Mendis enabled Sri Lanka to post 162-6 at Kardinia Park on Thursday, Charith Asalanka also chipping in with 31.

The Netherlands fell short on 146-9 in reply, spinners Wanindu Hasaranga (3-28) and Maheesh Theekshana (2-32) stepping up when Sri Lanka needed them, with opener Max O'Dowd's unbeaten 71 in vain.

That left the Dutch's fate out of their hands, but UAE came to their rescue by dramatically securing their first T20 World Cup win to knock Namibia out in Geelong.

Muhammad Waseem top scored with 50 and captain Chundangapoyil Rizwan made 43 not out in UAE's 148-3. A victory would have seen Namibia advance with Sri Lanka, but they were beaten by seven runs after being restricted to 141-8.

David Wiese's half-century in a stand of 70 with Ruben Trumpelmann looked to have put Namibia on course to qualify, but he was out 55 in an excellent final over from Waseem

Group A winners Sri Lanka face the runners-up in Group B in their Super 12 opener at Bellerive Oval on Sunday, while the Netherlands face Bangladesh at the same venue in Hobart a day later.

Sri Lanka suffered a shock defeat to Namibia in the first game of the tournament on Sunday, but responded with an emphatic win over UAE at Kardinia Park.

Pathum Nissanka top scored with 74 from 60 balls as the Asia Cup champions posted 152-8, Meiyappan (3-19) becoming the first UAE player to take a T20I hat-trick.

Sri Lanka had been 117-2 in the 15th over, but a late collapse did not prove to be costly as UAE were skittled out for only 73 in 17.1 overs.

Wanindu Hasaranga claimed brilliant figures of 3-8 from four overs, while Dushmantha Chameera (3-15) and Maheesh Theekshana (2-15) also sparkled under the lights to leave Sri Lanka in third place in Group A, level on points with Namibia with an inferior net run-rate.

The Netherlands are two points clear at the top of the group after bringing Namibia back down to earth with a five-wicket victory.

Namibia posted 121-6 and the Dutch got home with three balls to spare, Bas de Leede named man of the match after making an unbeaten 30 and taking two wickets.

Namibia were dismissed for just 96 runs after being put into bat first, and Sri Lanka ultimately eclipsed that total as early as the 14th over.

Maheesh Theekshana was a key part of the Sri Lanka attack, taking Stephan Baard on his first delivery, before also claiming the scalps of Zane Green and Jan Frylinck, ending the day at 3-25.

Craig Williams (29) was the only Namibian to get more than 20, though his haul was hardly emphatic given it came off 36 balls and included just two boundaries.

Sri Lanka's innings did not start particularly impressively given they were 26-3 after the first ball of the sixth over, but Avishka Fernando (30 not out) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (42 not out) had a steadying impact as they got them over the line at 100-3.

The day's early Group A match saw Ireland win in similarly comprehensive fashion against the Netherlands, with the bowlers again having the decisive impact during a seven-wicket victory.

Curtis Campher (4-26) incredibly took all four of his wickets in succession to leave the Dutch in disarray, becoming only the third man after Lasith Malinga and Rashid Khan to achieve the feat in a T20I, while Mark Adair was even more efficient with figures of 3-9 in his four overs.

Like Campher, Adair's treble came in a row and right at the end as the Netherlands could only set a target of 106.

Paul Stirling (30 not out) kept things ticking over throughout with a professional – if unspectacular – knock, but Gareth Delany (44) top scored for the Irish. By the time he was eventually stopped by Pieter Seelaar's yorker, Ireland only needed another 12 runs.

Elsewhere, several of the tournament favourites were in action in warm-up matches. India beat England by seven wickets with six balls remaining partly down to swift 50s by KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan, while Australia's 159-7 saw them defeat New Zealand with one ball left.

South Africa enjoyed a comfortable 41-run win over Afghanistan and Pakistan defeated the West Indies by seven wickets in a little over 15 overs.

Wanindu Hasaranga's 47-ball 71, along with 61 from Pathum Nissanka, which came from the same amount of deliveries, propelled the 2014 winners to 171-7.

The 172 target proved well beyond Ireland, who were dismissed for 101 with nine balls left, Hasaranga also taking a wicket and bowling a team-high 14 dot balls in a Man of the Match display.

It means Sri Lanka can top Group A with a win over the Netherlands, whose hopes came to an end with defeat to Namibia.

Max O'Dowd hit a 56-ball 70 for Netherlands as they posted 164-4, however, David Wiese's unbeaten 66 ensured Namibia got over the line for a six-wicket win with six balls left.

England are among the tournament favourites and they underlined that status with a 13-run warm-up win over New Zealand in which Jos Buttler delivered a scarcely needed reminder of his class by hitting 11 fours and two maximums for his 73.

Mark Wood (4-23) and Adil Rashid (3-18) impressed with the ball for England, who were runners-up in 2016 to West Indies.

The Windies seemingly have work to do ahead of the Super 12 after a 56-run defeat to Afghanistan, who saw Hazratullah Zazai (56) and Mohammad Shahzad (54) hit half-centuries.

Rassie van der Dussen, meanwhile, looks in ominous form for South Africa, his 51-ball 101 comprising of 10 fours and four maximums as South Africa saw off Pakistan by six wickets.

Afif Hossain top scored with 38 as the Tigers were restricted to 144-8 in their opening Group 2 game in Hobart on Monday.

Paul van Meekeren (2-21) and Bas de Leede (2-29) claimed two wickets apiece to keep Bangladesh down to a total that the Dutch would have felt they could chase down.

Paceman ensured it was advantage Bangladesh by taking two wickets with the first two deliveries of the run chase, dismissing Vikramjit Singh and De Leede.

Netherlands were deep in the mire at 15-4 after Max O'Dowd and Tom Cooper were run out, but a half-century from Colin Ackermann gave them hope.

Ackermann struck 62 off 48 balls, but he lacked support and the Dutch were all out for 135.

Taskin too hot to handle

It was an impressive spell with the ball from Taskin, who took four wickets in a T20I for the first time in his career.

His figures of 4-25 earned him the player of the match award, removing Ackermann and Shariz Ahmad after his brilliant first over. 

Ackermann shows resistance 

It proved to be in vain, but Ackermann impressed with the bat after coming in at number four.

He scored two of Netherlands' four sixes, while also hitting six fours as to prevent his side from being embarrassed. 

There was a standing ovation for Taylor as he walked out to the crease in Hamilton and the tourists lined up to show their appreciation for his brilliant career during the third and final ODI of the series.

The 38-year-old was caught and bowled by Logan van Beek for only 14 before departing to another standing ovation.

Taylor later led New Zealand out onto the field before Netherlands started their pursuit of a huge target of 334 for a consolation victory.

The former Black Caps captain's children joined him on the pitch for the pre-match national anthems prior to his international swansong.

Taylor retires as New Zealand's highest ODI run-scorer with 8,593 at an average of 47.73, while he has also scored the most hundreds (21) and half-centuries (51) for his country in the 50-over format.

The Blacks Caps great racked up 7,683 runs in 112 Tests and 1,909 in 102 T20 Internationals.

Lancashire seamer Wood and Gloucestershire paceman Payne have been included in a 14-man party by white-ball coach Matthew Mott.

England have not played an ODI series since facing Pakistan in July 2021.

While Payne was previously called up for last year's series, this is Wood's first inclusion in the national set-up, with both seeking a maiden cap.

Captain Eoin Morgan returns after missing out last year due to a COVID-19 outbreak that forced a complete last-gasp squad overhaul.

Apart from Payne, Brydon Carse, Dawid Malan and Phil Salt are the only players from that second-string selection to make the cut this time, as a host of familiar faces come back into the mix.

Among them are Liam Livingstone and Jos Buttler, who both enjoyed successful campaigns in the Indian Premier League.

Livingstone scored 437 runs across 14 appearances for Punjab Kings, while Buttler's superb form propelled Rajasthan Royals to Sunday's final, though they lost to Gujarat Titans.

"We have tremendous depth with a blend of youth and experience," Mott stated. "We want to continue to play in an expressive style and let our players showcase their skills and firepower.

"Luke Wood deserves his call-up. He has been consistent for Lancashire over the past 12 months and we have been monitoring his progression.

"If given a chance to play, I'm sure he will make most of his opportunity. This is a historic occasion for the sport and the first time England men have played the Netherlands in an ODI series.

"We can't wait to head over to Amsterdam and put on a show for the thousands of fans travelling to support the team."

The series against the Netherlands starts at Amstelveen on 17 June, with the next two games to follow at the same venue on June 19 and 22.

England squad in full: Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, David Payne, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, David Willey, Luke Wood.

Teams will take points earned from the group stage into the super sixes if you beat the other qualified teams from your group.

As a result of their losses to Zimbabwe and the Netherlands, the West Indians will enter the super sixes stage with no points while the Netherlands will enter with two and Zimbabwe with four.

The West Indies made a seemingly insurmountable 374-6 from their 50 overs after being put in to bat by the Dutch.

The innings was set up excellently with a 101-run opening stand between Brandon King and Johnson Charles.

Charles was first to go for 54 to bring Shamarh Brooks to the crease to join King. The pair put on a further 59 before Brooks fell for 25.

Captain, Shai Hope, was next to make his way out to the middle and just three runs later, King fell for a well made 81-ball 76 to bring Pooran to the crease.

Hope and Pooran, then, added a further 108 before Hope eventually fell for 47 in the 41^st over.

Pooran, however, batted excellently, smashing the Dutch bowling all over the Takashinga Sports Club, eventually finishing 104 not out off 65 balls including nine fours and six sixes. Keemo Paul also played extremely well alongside Pooran, finishing unbeaten on 46 off 25 balls including four fours and two sixes.

Bas De Leede and Saqib Zulfiqar each took a pair of wickets for the Netherlands.

The Dutch, on the back of a magnificent 111 from Teja Nidamanuru, produced a spirited chase that saw them equal the West Indies score, and make their highest ODI score in the process, finishing 374-9 off their 50 overs.

It was a well-rounded batting effort as they got valuable contributions from Vikramjit Singh (37), Max O’Dowd (36), Wesley Barresi (27) and Bas De Leede (33) at the top of their innings.

It was then a crucial 143-run fifth-wicket partnership between Nidamanuru and Captain, Scott Edwards, that put the Netherlands on the cusp of victory.

Edwards eventually fell for a 47-ball 67 to leave the Netherlands 313-5 in the 45^th over. Saqib Zulfiqar (3) and Nidamanuru (111) then fell in quick succession to leave the Netherlands 327-7 after 46 overs.

Logan Van Beek and Aryan Dutt then batted brilliantly to put on the further 47 needed to prolong the enthralling contest.

Eventually, they found themselves needing 9 from 6 and then one from one before, off the very last ball, Van Beek was dismissed by Alzarri Joseph for 28 off just 14 balls.

The resulting super over gave Van Beek an opportunity to continue the momentum he built during the chase and that is exactly what he did.

He hit a mammoth 30 runs off Jason Holder’s over including three fours and three sixes.

Van Beek was then tasked with bowling the super over to the West Indies pair of Johnson Charles and Shai Hope.

Charles hit the first ball for six before dragging the next ball into the leg side for a single, meaning Hope would need to hit four sixes in a row for victory. The next ball could only produce a single, pretty much ending all hope for the West Indies.

Eventually, the West Indies managed just eight in the super over to give the Netherlands an improbable victory.

This tour will be the first-ever ODI Series between the two teams featuring three ODIs from May 31 to June 4 at the VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen.

The three matches form part of the ICC ODI Super League, where West Indies and the Netherlands will have the opportunity to secure points to try and secure one of the top seven places, excluding hosts India, to gain automatic qualification for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

“We have been working closely with our colleagues at KNCB to put together this series immediately after the IPL and we are happy to now be able to announce the match schedule,” said CWI CEO Johnny Grave.

“It’s going to be exciting to tour the Netherlands for the first time. It is a short tour, but we expect great entertainment during what promises to be a wonderful week of quality cricket for the fans in The Netherlands.”

 High-Performance Manager of KNCB, Roland Lefebvre, said they are eagerly anticipating the historic tour.

 “The KNCB is very excited to welcome the West Indies cricket team back to the Netherlands. The last time the team visited our country was in 1991, for two 55-over friendly matches, with the likes of Richards, Haynes, Ambrose, and Marshall present. These matches will be the second Cricket World Cup Super League home series for the Dutch team and we look forward to a great Caribbean style contest,” he said.

Below is the match schedule:)

Tuesday, May 31: 1st ODI

Thursday, June 2: 2nd ODI

Saturday, June 4: 3rd ODI

The match was reduced to 45-overs per team after a rain delay during the Netherlands’ innings, an innings that saw them accumulate a competitive 240-7 off their 45 overs, leaving the tourists needing a Duckworth Lewis adjusted 247 for victory.

Debutant Teja Nidamanuru (58 not out), Vikramjit Singh (47) and Max O’Dowd (39) were the main contributors for the hosts against 2-29 off nine overs from Akeal Hosein and 2-50 from nine overs from Kyle Mayers.

West Indies openers Shai Hope and Shamarh Brooks then got the reply off to the perfect start, putting on 120 before Brooks was dismissed in the 24^th over for a well-made 60 off 67 balls, including three fours and two sixes.  That wicket brought Nkrumah Bonner to the crease who lasted for just one delivery, dismissed by Logan Van Beek for a duck.

Captain Nicholas Pooran then made his way to the crease and got to seven before falling to Aryan Dutt to leave the Windies 133-3 off 26.3 overs.

Brandon King then joined Hope at the crease and the pair combined to compile a match-winning 116-run partnership which saw Hope bring up his 11^th ODI hundred and King bring up his maiden ODI half-century.

Hope ended up 119 not out off 130 balls, including 12 fours and two sixes, while King ended 58 not out off 51 balls, including five fours and two sixes.

Logan Van Beek took 2-49 from eight overs for the Dutch.

The second ODI will take place on Thursday.

The frustrated head coach was speaking after the West Indies lost to the Netherlands in a super over on Monday which leaves their chances of qualifying for the ICC Cricket World Cup in India hanging by a thread.

Having made 374-6, the West Indies were unable to successfully restrict the Dutch side from getting to 374-9 for a tie and triggering a super over.  Logan van Beek, who scored 28 from 14 balls to get his side to the super over than smashed three sixes and three fours while scoring 30 runs off Jason Holder’s over.

He then took two wickets and conceded eight runs as the West Indies failed miserably in attempting to overhaul, the record-setting 30-run over by the Netherlands.

Sammy said afterwards, that the West Indies were on track for a possible victory but subsequently lost the plot.

“[At the] halfway stage, 374 on the board, I thought the batters did excellently but again it shows you where we are as a team. We were kind of poor tactically. We didn’t stick to the plans as long as possible and we just thought because we had 375 on the board that we should win, but cricket is not played like this,” he said.

“And it’s a lesson for us that you can’t take any game of cricket for granted.”

The head coach who was appointed just last month, believes his team approaching its nadir but remained optimistic about its future.

“I am a very positive thinker and I understand the journey that I have to take with this team. Sometimes you’ve got to reach rock bottom to come back up,” he said.

“I understand the challenges ahead and I also understand that things will not change overnight and it’s a true reflection of where our cricket is at the moment and we have a lot of work to do.”

The loss to the Netherlands means the West Indies, two-time champions, now face the near impossible task of qualifying for the World Cup. They must now win all their Super Six matches while hoping that Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka lose two of theirs and that the Netherlands lose at least one of theirs in order to qualify.

Sikandar Raza’s unbeaten century carried his team to a six-wicket victory over the Netherlands as Zimbabwe successfully chased down the target of 316 set by the Dutch. 

That follows an opening victory over Nepal in Group A, leaving Zimbabwe in a good position in the race for a spot in the Super Six. 

Nepal bounced back from that opening loss to record their first win of the campaign, as they beat the USA by six wickets. 

Bhim Sharki was the star of the show, making 77 not out, as Nepal chased down 211 against the US, who have now lost twice in as many matches. 

Zimbabwe batters step up in chase again 

Two days after chasing down 291 against Nepal, Zimbabwe found themselves with an even bigger target to achieve against the Netherlands. 

But an unbeaten 102 from Sikandar Raza saw them home in comfortable fashion, reaching 319 for four with 55 balls remaining.

Raza reached his century off just 54 balls, the fastest ever by a Zimbabwean in ODI cricket.

Raza was spectacular with the bat, smashing eight sixes in his 54-ball knock as he carried on the good work of skipper Craig Ervine (50) and Sean Williams (91). 

The Dutch had looked in good position at the halfway stage, making 315 for six as Vikramjit Singh (88) and Scott Edwards (83) gave them a dream start to their tournament. 

Singh and Max O’Dowd (59) put on 120 for the first wicket before Raza bowled O’Dowd, before getting Wesley Barresi out in the same way. 

A 96-run partnership between Singh and Edwards continued the Netherlands’ fine batting effort with Raza again the man to find the breakthrough, removing Singh, on the way to figures of four for 55. 

Richard Ngarava (2/40) chipped in with a couple of useful wickets, including the skipper, but Saqib Zulfiqur’s 34 not out off 31 balls ensured the Dutch went into the interval feeling good. 

Zimbabwe needed to start quickly and they did just that, Ervine and Joylord Gumbie (40) putting on 80 for the first wicket before the captain was removed by Singh. 

Gumbie and Williams then added another 62, and while Shariz Ahmed claimed the wicket of the former, as well as Wessly Madhevere, Zimbabwe were comfortably keeping up with the asking rate. 

Raza joined Williams and the pair added 84 in ten overs to ease any tension, and while Williams eventually departed, it was left to his partner to complete a magnificent all-round performance to see the side home. 

Nepal up and running with US success 

Having suffered the same fate as the Dutch against Zimbabwe, Nepal needed a win against the USA, and got it by six wickets. 

Karan KC (4/33) did the damage with the ball to restrict the Americans to 207, before Bhim Sharki carried Nepal home with seven overs to spare. 

Karan was sensational early on after Nepal had chosen to bowl first, taking four wickets in the first ten overs to reduce the USA to 18 for four. 

Sushant Modani (42) and Gajanand Singh (26) started to rebuild, adding 47 before the latter edged Dipendra Singh Airee to slip. 

That brought keeper Shayan Jahangir to the crease and he counter-attacked in style, making 100 not out from just 79 balls as wickets continued to fall at the other end. 

Gulsan Jha (3/52) finished the job with an over to spare, rattling through the tail to leave Nepal with 208 to win, despite Jahangir’s maiden ODI century. 

Despite Aasif Sheikh falling leg before to Saurabh Netravalkar for 12, that total never looked like being enough, Kushal Burtel (39) and Sharki adding 49 for the second wicket. 

Skipper Rohit Paudel and Kushal Malla both made starts before falling, leaving Nepal on 137 for four as Airee joined Sharki. 

Any danger of a collapse was quickly averted though as the pair added 74 to carry Nepal to a comfortable win. 

Ireland look to get back on track against Scotland 

Attention will turn back to Group B on Wednesday when Ireland take on Scotland in Bulawayo in one of two games. 

Having fallen to defeat to Oman in their opener, Ireland will be keen to make amends at the Queens Sports Club against the Scots, who will be playing their first game of the tournament. 

The other game sees Oman looking to build on that Ireland success when they face the United Arab Emirates. 

The UAE were comfortably beaten by Sri Lanka in their first game and will now face an Oman team full of confidence in the encounter at the Bulawayo Athletic Club. 

Scores in brief 

Zimbabwe beat Netherlands at Harare Sports Club, Harare by six wickets 

Netherlands 315/6 in 50 overs (Vikramjit Singh 88, Scott Edwards 83; Sikandar Raza 4/55, Richard Ngarava 2/40) 
Zimbabwe 319/4 in 40.5 overs (Sikandar Raza 102*, Sean Williams 91; Shariz Ahmed 2/62) 

Nepal beat USA at Takashinga Cricket Club, Harare by six wickets 

USA 207 all out in 49 overs (Shayan Jahangir 100*, Sushant Modani 42; Karan KC 4/33, Gulsan Jha 3/52) 
Nepal 211/4 in 43 overs (Bhim Sharki 77, Dipendra Singh Airee 39*; Steven Taylor 1/14, Saurabh Netravalkar 1/29) 

Wednesday 21 June – Fixtures 

Group B 

Ireland v Scotland at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo 
Oman v United Arab Emirates at Bulawayo Athletic Club, Bulawayo