Thursday was a special day for Netherlands cricket and the whole of the Oranje army. The Dutch qualified for the Super 12 stage after UAE caused an upset by beating Namibia. The match at Simonds Stadium at Geelong in MCG saw, UAE beat Namibia by 7 runs in a topsy turvy encounter. Once the result was confirmed the entire Dutch fans present in the stadium made a lot of noise and celebrated hard.
Heartbreak in the morning –
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka and Netherlands had locked horns in the first game at Geelong. Sri Lanka batting first had scored 162 on the board thanks to 75 by Kusal Mendis. Half century by Max ODawd went in van as the Dutch fell short by 16 runs. This left the players in tears as they were facing exit despite having 4 points on the board. Netherlands hoped that UAE could do the favor and helped their dreams of going through.
Celebration in the evening –
UAE’s 7 run win over Namibia meant that, it was the Dutch who made it through to the Super 12 stage. They finished 2nd in the Group A of qualifying matches behind Sri Lanka, also on 4 points on the net run rate. Netherlands joined the group of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Africa in the Super 12 stage. The final entrant, the winner of Group B will join the group.
Netherlands players react to the qualification –
VRA Cricket Amsterdam took to Twitter to post a 37 second clip to show the behind the scenes in the Dutch dressing room. The players could be seen watching the match keenly. Once the result was confirmed the players flew into wild celebration at the confirmation of their entry to Super 12 stage in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Celebration by the Dutch cricket team, having just qualified for the follow-up by the narrow defeat of Namibia by UAE. Yet another nail biting experience. #ICCT20WC2022 #ICCT20WC @T20Worldcup #Australia #CricketNL @KNCBcricket pic.twitter.com/pVNjMVYgUG
— VRA Cricket Amsterdam (@VRA_Cricket_AMS) October 20, 2022
Mohammad Waseem helps UAE post 148 on the board –
UAE won the toss and chose to bat first, with Waseem and Aravind starting slow to add 39 for the 1st wicket. Aravind was out for 21 off 32 balls, as Waseem and C. Rizwan added 53 runs for the 2nd wicket. Mohammad Waseem was out for 50 off 41 balls with 1 four and 3 sixes. Rizwan was not out on 43 off 29 balls with 3 fours and a six, while Basil Hameed scored 25* off 14 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to help UAE reach 148.
Teary eyed David Wiese sees Namibia’s hopes dashed –
Chasing 149 to make it to the Super 12 stage, Namibia at one stage were 69 for 7 and down in the dumps. David Wiese and Ruben Trumpelmann then combined to add 70 for the 8th wicket in 42 balls to bring Namibia 10 runs close to a win.
Mohammad Waseem then dashed the Namibian hopes with the ball as he got the wicket of Wiese caught by Alishan Sharafu for 55 off 36 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes. Once the exit was confirmed, Wiese was seen in tears and his head bowed down. This broke the hearts of many Namibia fans and also hardcore cricket fanatics.