South African skipper Aiden Markram was delighted after they defeated the Netherlands by four wickets at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York on Saturday. The Proteas had to chase down a below-par score of 104 runs but they were made to work hard by the Dutch bowlers.
The Netherlands, who have stunned South Africa in their last two World Cup (ODI and T20) meetings, once again came close to upsetting the Proteas. South Africa found themselves in all kinds of trouble at 12-4 after Quinton de Kock (0), Reeza Hendricks (3), Aiden Markram (0), and Heinrich Klaasen (4) were dismissed cheaply.
However, South Africa had the experience of David Miller, who scored an unbeaten knock of 59 runs off 51 balls to help his team get over the line. In-form Tristan Stubbs also scored a crucial knock of 33 runs off 37 balls as he added 65 runs with the left-hander.
Markram gave credit to the Netherlands bowlers for putting them under the pump in the run-chase but feels this heart-racking win would give them a shot in the arm.
Markram said in the post-match presentation, “It was nerve-racking. Got to give credit to them and also credit to us upfront (with the ball.) It’s a game of a cricket, they (Netherlands) have proved that they can beat best teams. They have beaten us twice (in ICC tournaments), not a mental block or something. The game of cricket makes it a bit tricky. We are moving forward as a squad. Sometimes the wins are going to be convincing.”
He added, “To squeeze a win out of that (12/4) situation, it’s good for the team environment. If compared to the first game, I think the wicket played well today. It was better than the first game. We have been good in the field and with the ball. We need to get some confidence while batting, especially while batting at the top.”
South Africa will next take on Bangladesh at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York on Monday.
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