ICC World Cup 2023 qualifiers are underway as this article is being drafted. The tournament is inching closer to its conclusion, and it is right to say that the journey was nothing but interesting. The hosts got eliminated when Scotland beat them by 31 runs. West Indies, the two-time champions, saw an early exit in this edition of the global cricket tournament. That is not all.
In line is the recent elimination of Scotland, which has come as an upset to the fanbase. For all the valid reasons, the team was in the second spot with a positive NRR of 0.296. The Netherlands, on the other hand, was at the 4th spot with an NRR of -0.042. All the Scottish army had to do was win the match. They would have booked their tickets to India, where the tournament will be live this year, in October-November 2023.
Unfortunately, the outcome was unfavorable, and Scotland had to hit the road home. What explains this elimination in the Super Six of ODI World Cup 2023 qualifiers? One, the Netherlands, was on fire to make it to the tournament. The match meant more to them since they were competing with a high-ranked side. Second, the bowling attack of Scotland fell weak, with three bowlers delivering at a minimum economy of 7 per over.
The first theory is dependent on individual perception. So, jumping on to the stats directly. Scotland had 50 overs to register a winning chase. They could only go to 277 runs with a loss of 9 wickets. This was following a contribution from Brandon McMullen with his 106 runs off 110 balls. The right-handed batter has a total of 540 runs from 13 innings at an average of 49.09. He fought alone before giving away his wicket on Ryan Klein’s throw via the review system.
Richie Berrington did his best, but the strike rate of 76.19 only went on to put extra pressure on him.
As for the bowling attack, not a single bowler from the Netherlands crossed the economy of 6 runs per over. Only Clayton Floyd and Vikramjit Singh were hit the most. Others either managed to keep it under six or bagged crucial wickets. Some of the betting sites for cricket inclined toward Scotland for their previous performances. For them, the Netherlands turned out to be underdogs.
The maximum damage was done by Bas de Leede. He swept five wickets at an economy of 5.20. This includes sending Richie back to the pavilion at a time when he could have scored a few more runs. Leede also remained responsible for restricting the opener to 32 runs. He went on to become the Player of the Match for the bowling figure of 5 wickets for 52 runs and 123 runs off 92 balls.
Scottish bowlers could not have a similar impact on the opponent’s openers. This gave the remaining batting line-up a chance to chase the target faster – in 43 overs.
Sri Lanka and the Netherlands will play the final of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Qualifier on July 09, 2023, at 12:30 pm, at Harare Sports Club. Both have qualified for the tournament. It is about cementing a position on the table.
