England set the Netherlands a target of 340 runs, before comfortably defending it in their ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 match. Dawid Malan smashed an aggressive 87 runs, providing a strong start for England. Then, Ben Stokes hit an outstanding century (108). Also, some powerful hitting from the lower-order batsmen helped England reach an imposing total. Stokes hit six fours and six sixes during his innings.
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Facing a challenging target, the Netherlands’ chase never really gained momentum. England’s pacers, David Willey and Chris Woakes, along with spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, consistently took wickets, causing the Netherlands to be bowled out well before completing their allotted overs.
Chris Woakes made an impressive start with the new ball, generating movement and creating difficulties for the Dutch batsmen. David Willey’s exceptional delivery got the edge of Colin Ackermann, and the Netherlands lost two early wickets.
Sybrand Engelbrecht and Wesley Barresi provided some resistance, adding 54 runs for the third wicket. However, Barresi was run out due to a mix-up with Engelbrecht. As the required run rate increased, Engelbrecht also lost his wicket after playing a rash shot.
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Teja Nidamanuru’s arrival after the 25-over mark injected some pace into the Netherlands’ innings as he scored 41* runs, hitting four and three sixes. However, the Dutch lost wickets at crucial stages, and their chase ultimately derailed, losing their last five wickets for just 16 runs and finishing at 179.
In England’s innings, Dawid Malan began aggressively after an early delivery from Logan van Beek beat him. Malan scored a hat-trick of boundaries and continued to find the fence regularly, helping England maintain a healthy run rate. Despite losing Jonny Bairstow and Malan himself, Ben Stokes took charge with his aggressive batting.
Netherlands managed to take wickets at regular intervals, keeping themselves in the contest. However, a significant partnership between Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes, worth 129 runs for the seventh wicket, propelled England’s score. In the final overs, Stokes led the charge, and England added 92 runs off the last six overs.
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England elected to bat first after winning the toss, and their decision paid off. The addition of Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson to the side, replacing Liam Livingstone and Mark Wood, strengthened their batting lineup. Despite preferring to bat first on the pitch, the Netherlands remained competitive, with Teja Nidamanuru coming in for Saqib Zulfiqar. England’s performance in this ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 has been subpar, although they have shown signs of promise.
