Netherlands beat Namibia by seven wickets

The Netherlands registered their first win of the ICC T20 World Cup with a seven-wicket victory over Namibia, powered by an all-round performance from Bas de Leede. In Tuesday’s match, De Leede impressed with both ball and bat.

After winning the toss, Netherlands captain Scott Edwards chose to field against Namibia. On a sluggish pitch, the decision proved decisive. Namibia came under pressure early after Aryan Dutt provided the breakthrough, managing just 40 runs in the powerplay.

A 50-run second-wicket partnership between Jan Frylinck (30) and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton (42) helped Namibia recover somewhat. The innings gained momentum in the middle overs through Loftie-Eaton and Gerhard Erasmus, with 29 runs coming in two overs. However, the Netherlands struck back quickly by removing Erasmus, who scored a brisk 18, including two fours and a six.

Loftie-Eaton then fell attempting a big shot off Logan van Beek, ending a fluent 42 off 38 balls. Experienced JJ Smit added 22, and some late hitting helped Namibia reach 156 for 8. For the Netherlands, Van Beek and De Leede claimed two wickets each.

In reply, the Netherlands made a solid start, scoring 50 runs in the powerplay, but lost both openers early. Max O’Dowd was dismissed by Bernard Scholtz, while Michael Levitt fell in the final over of the powerplay. Levitt struck three sixes and a four in a quick 28 off 15 balls.

Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann (32) then stitched together a crucial 70-run partnership to put the Netherlands in control. De Leede brought up the team’s 100 with a six in the 13th over and continued to bat confidently on a challenging surface.

Striking five fours and four sixes, De Leede remained unbeaten on 72 off 48 balls as the Netherlands reached 159 for 3 in 18 overs to seal a comfortable win.