Scott Edwards said that Netherlands came into the World Cup 2023 campaign thinking of making it to the semi-finals after they shocked South Africa on Tuesday, October 17 in Dharamsala.
This was a historic win for the Dutch team as it marked their first victory against a test-playing nation in the ODI World Cup and their third win in the competition overall.
The match began late due to inclement weather, which led to a reduction in overs from the standard 50 to 43 per side. South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first. The Netherlands, considered underdogs in this match, put up a fighting total of 245-8. Captain Scott Edwards played a crucial role in this achievement, smashing an undefeated 78 off 69 balls, featuring 10 fours and a six.
South Africa could not reach the target set by the Netherlands as the Dutch bowlers delivered a disciplined performance and the Proteas fell short by 38 runs, making the final score 207 all out in 42.5 overs.
Speaking to the broadcasters after the win, Edwards said that he was aiming to stick around till the end and hoping for support from the other end.
“I think over the last couple of games, our issue has been losing wickets before the innings ends. So I just thought of sticking around and I was supported nicely from the other end,” said Edwards.
Edwards commented on batting with Roelof van der Merwe and said it was good fun and claimed he was just trying to get Aryan Dutt on the strike always, as he scored 23 off nine balls.
“It’s good fun to bat with Roelof. He hits in some strange areas and runs hard between the wickets, which is always challenging. I just tried to get him on strike and he was clearing the ropes. Certainly one of the best hitting I have seen in a while, especially from a number 10 batter,” said Edwards.
Speaking about the win, he said he was proud of the team and claimed they had set lofty targets for the competition. Edwards said he was happy to get over the line in the end.
“Really proud of the boys. We came into the tournament and hoped to play in the semi-finals. To do so, we have to beat the top teams and South Africa are certainly favorites in this tournament. So happy to get over the line,” said Edwards.
