Netherlands Secures ODI World Cup Spot!

In a jubilant display, the Netherlands has secured their spot in the ODI World Cup in India later this year. They achieved this feat by defeating Scotland in a thrilling match in Bulawayo, winning by six wickets. Led by the exceptional performance of Bas de Leede, who scored a remarkable 123 off 92 balls, the Netherlands will make their first appearance in the 50-over World Cup since 2011.

The Netherlands faced a challenging task as they needed to win by a significant margin to surpass Scotland’s superior net run rate. After Scotland chose to bat first and posted a total of 277, courtesy of Brandon McMullen’s century, the Dutch team required 278 runs within 44 overs to qualify.

Although the Netherlands appeared to be on track for victory during their chase, reaching the target within the required threshold seemed improbable. However, with 45 runs needed off the last four overs, de Leede, a key player in the chase, unleashed an astonishing onslaught. He smashed four sixes in the next two overs, contributing to a total of five sixes hit by the Netherlands. This incredible display turned the distant dream of qualification into an inevitable reality. Just before the winning runs were scored, de Leede was unfortunately run out, but the Netherlands secured victory with seven balls to spare.

As a result, both the Netherlands and Sri Lanka will advance to the final of the Qualifier and secure their places in the World Cup. Regardless of the outcome in the final, the Netherlands will progress as Q1, while Sri Lanka will qualify as Q2. Notably, the Netherlands is the only Associate side to have qualified for the World Cup since the tournament was limited to ten teams.