CWC 2023, AFG vs NED: Spinners take 6-99; Afghanistan move to no. 5

CWC 2023, Afghanistan vs Netherlands: Sybrand Engelbrecht's 58, Rahmat Shah's 52 and Mujeeb Ur Rahman's 1-40 are top performances. Afghanistan beat Netherlands and move to 5th place in points table.

Afghanistan beat Netherlands and move to 5th place (Images: ©ACBofficials/Twitter)

Brief Score - Afghanistan - 181/3 (H. Shahidi 56, R. Shah - 52, L. van Beek - 1/30) beat Netherlands - 179 (S. Engelbrecht - 58, M. O’Dowd - 42, M. Nabi - 3/28) by 7 wickets.

Player of the match - Mohammad Nabi 3/28

Afghanistan kept their semi-final hopes alive with a comfortable win over the Netherlands, credit to their outstanding bowling & fielding. Afghanistan bowlers completely dominated the game. As a team, Afghanistan looked in good spirit against the Dutch team, and their fielders were exceptional on the ground.

Afghanistan has played well in the ICC CWC 2023 and defeated three world champions - England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The team that entered as underdogs in the tournament are dominating the game and have a good chance of entering the knockout stage. On the other hand, the Netherlands, too have a decent World Cup so far. They registered their biggest win in ODI WC history by defeating Bangladesh.

Afghanistan and the Netherlands have faced each other nine times in ODI, with Afghanistan on the heavy side with seven wins.

Talking Point from Afghanistan vs Netherlands, Lucknow, CWC 2023

Afghanistan continues to shine in run-chase

Continuing with their mission of making it their most memorable World Cup, Afghanistan registered their fourth win. They chased a low score of 179 runs in 31.3 overs. This team has now mastered chasing a target. Their batters are performing well in the run-chase, leading the team to victory. In the ongoing tournament, Afghanistan has learned and evolved a lot in many departments, and one of them is their chasing. This is the third time Afghanistan has chased the target successfully. They have improved much and become a mature side overall in this World Cup. As a result, they are still in the race for the semi-finals with four wins.

Read More: Everything to gain, nothing to lose: The story of Afghanistan in World Cup 2023

Afghanistan's stunning bowling & fielding restricted the Netherlands

The Netherlands won the toss and chose to bat first. Afghanistan spinners bowled brilliantly to restrict the Dutch team to a low score of 179 runs. The Netherlands got a good start as they had a strong power play. They scored 66 runs in the powerplay. After losing the first wicket early, Colin Ackerman joined Max O’Dowd on the crease, and the duo tried to stabilize the innings. They produced a helpful 70-run stand between them before O’Dowd got run out. Since then, the Netherlands batters didn’t look in control, losing wickets regularly. They were clueless in front of impressive spells of spin attack.

Afghan spin sensation Mujeeb-ur-Rahman gave his team a good start as he claimed his first wicket early. Mohammad Nabi claimed three wickets, while Noor Ahmad took two wickets. Afghanistan fielders, too had a good outing on the field as they did four run-outs.

In the second innings, Netherlands bowlers Logan van Beek and Roelof van der Merwe dismissed the Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to keep the Netherlands alive in the game for a moment. Soon, Skipper Hasmatullah Shahidi and experienced Rahmat Shah took control and led their team to their fourth victory in the tournament. Netherlands bowlers, too, didn’t have a good day with the bowl. They failed to give their side early breakthroughs, and hence, as a result, they finished on the losing side.

Top three performances from Afghanistan vs. Netherlands game in CWC 2023

Mujeeb Ur Rahman took 1-40 against Netherlands (Photo: ©acbofficials/Twitter)

Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman reached the 100-wicket milestone

The 22-year-old Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman is as difficult a bowler to classify as he is to pick. He has offered Afghanistan control early on with some quick wickets. Mujeeb accounted for Barresi in the very first over. With this wicket, he achieved the milestone of taking 100 ODI wickets. He becomes the fourth Afghanistan bowler to achieve this mark. He has joined the elite list of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Dawlat Zadran. He is one of the breakout stars for his team’s campaign in the ongoing tournament.

Read More: CWC 2023, AFG vs SL: Afghanistan record third win, climb up to 5th position

Rahmat scored another fifty in chase for Afghanistan (Images: ©ACBofficials/Twitter)

Rahmat Shah took Afghanistan towards victory

Rahmat Shah again showed his experience as he played a supportive innings of 52 runs in the low-scoring game. Though he got dismissed after completing his half-century, he did his work before getting out. He and skipper Hasmatullah Shahidi again got a fifty partnership, getting a hat trick of fifty partnerships between them in the ongoing tournament. Rahmat Shah orchestrated another chase brilliantly for Afghanistan.

Read More: CWC 2023, AFG vs PAK: Afghanistan top-order's exemplary batting stuns Pakistan

Sybrand Engelbrecht scored fighting 58 (Images: ©KNCBcricket/Twitter)

Sybrand Engelbrecht was the lone fighter for the Netherlands

While the complete Netherlands team failed before the destructive Afghan spin attack, Sybrand Engelbrecht was the lone fighter for the Netherlands. He struck a gritty half-century but failed to push the Netherlands to a competitive total. Engelbrecht scored 58 off 86 and anchored Netherlands innings after the Dutch suffered a mid-innings collapse. While the Dutch batting line-up collapsed, he stood on the other side and fought. He arrived at number four and continued to hold one end as the Netherlands crossed the 150-run mark before getting run out.

Read More: CWC 2023, BAN vs NED: Paul van Meekeren's 4-fer helps Netherlands sink Bangladesh's ship

Statistical Highlights from Afghanistan vs Netherlands, Lucknow, CWC 2023

• Mujeeb-ur-Rahman reached the milestone of 100 ODI wickets.

• The second wicket stand of 70 runs between Max O’Dowd and Colin Ackermann is the third-highest partnership for this wicket for the Netherlands in ODI WCs.

• The Netherlands' 179 runs is their lowest ODI total against Afghanistan.

• The third wicket stand of 74 runs between Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah is the third-highest partnership for this wicket for Afghanistan in ODI WC.
  

ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Points Table

Afghanistan replaces Pakistan from 5th place

Points Table Scenario & What's Next

With their fourth tournament win, Afghanistan kept their semi-final hopes alive. They are currently in fifth position with eight points. The Netherlands faced its fifth loss in the ongoing World Cup and is in the eighth spot with 4 points. New Zealand will face Pakistan in the next match of the ICC CWC 2023 on November 04 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Red More: CWC 2023, AFG vs ENG: Afghanistan upset England, get second win in ODI WC history

Top Twitter Reactions from Netherlands vs Afghanistan, Lucknow, CWC 2023

Read More: CWC 2023, NED vs SA: Edwards, van der Merwe help Netherlands stun South Africa