The last group match of the 2023 ODI Cricket world cup took place today between India and the Netherlands. The former had already won the group and were looking to make it a perfect nine wins out of nine at the group stage, while the latter knew that a win would qualify them for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Both teams were unchanged, and India won the toss and elected to bat.
THE INDIA INNINGS
India had an innings in three parts. They made a blazing start, making 500 look a distinct possibility, then they slowed down in the middle, but in the closing stages of their innings Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were imperious, and although the record breaking innings tally did not materialize, India managed 410-4, with all of their top five topping the half century mark. Iyer and Rahul reached centuries, off 82 and 64 balls respectively, while Logan van Beek had a century of a different and less welcome kind – 10-0-107-0.
THE NETHERLANDS RESPONSE
The Netherlands showed fight, as they had all tournament, but never looked like threatening the Indian total. As it became obvious that India were in no danger whatsoever, some part time bowlers put in appearances for them – Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma all taking turns. Kohli picked up a wicket, and Sharma, bringing himself on as ninth bowler for the 48th over of the innings took the final wicket, that of Nidamanuru for 54. Since Sharma conceded only seven runs, six of them to the shot that completed Nidamanuru’s 50 and took the Netherlands to 250 he now has the best bowling average at this world cup – 7.00 per wicket. Among the more serious bowlers Jasprit Bumrah had 9-1-33-2, and Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav and Jadeja also picked up two wickets a piece.
THE FINAL TABLE
The final table reads as follows:
Thus India will play New Zealand in semi-final one on Wednesday and South Africa will play Australia in semi-final two on Thursday. Pakistan, Afghanistan, England and Bangladesh are all qualified for the 2025 Champions Trophy and Sri Lanka and the Netherlands leave with nothing. Afghanistan did superbly well to threaten to qualify for the semi-finals, while without a doubt the team with the most cause to be embarrassed about/ ashamed of their performance at this tournament is England, winners four years ago, falling at the first hurdle this time round. My initial expectation was that teams with a won six, lost three or better ratio would qualify automatically and that teams with a won five, lost four ratio would be split be net run rate. In the end, a combination of dominance by the top three and the fallibilities near the end of the tournament of both Afghanistan and Pakistan meant that only one side had 5:4 record and it was enough for them to qualify without relying on net RR. India look heavy favourites right now, but in 1996 (two groups of six, rather than one of 10) South Africa won every group game and looked a superb unit going into the quarter finals, where they were knocked out. That is by way of a reminder that there are four teams still in this competition, and that whichever of them wins two successive knock out matches will take the trophy. While I will congratulate India with all sincerity should they go on to win, and might even genuinely mean a few words of praise if Australia do the same, my own hope as someone whose inclination is to support the underdog is that one or other of the two ‘Cinderella’ sides, New Zealand or South Africa end up winning the title.
PHOTOGRAPHS
First, a link to an important petition, against a planned road development that would literally undermine Stonehenge. Please click here to read, sign and share this petition.
Now it is time for my usual sign off…
aspiblog 