CWC Qualifier Archives

Sri Lanka crush Netherlands to win CWC Qualifier

HARARE: Dilshan Madushanka-led Sri Lankan bowling attack decimated Netherlands’ batting lineup and led their side to CWC Qualifier glory with a crushing 128-run victory.

Put into bat first, Sri Lanka could only pile up a modest 233-run total before being bundled out in the 48th over despite Sahan Arachchige’s half-century.

Sri Lankan openers Pathum Nissanka (23) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (19) scripted a decent start before both fell in quick successions to leave Sri Lanka reeling at 44/2 in the 11th over.

Kusal Mendis and Sahan Arachchige then anchored the innings with a subtle third-wicket partnership and added 72 runs to the total before the former perished in the 24th over.

Arachchige then put on another vital partnership for Sri Lanka when he put on a 64-run stand with Charith Asalanka.

The pair put Sri Lanka in complete before both set batters fell in the 36th over.

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Arachchige top-scored with a brilliant 57 off 71 deliveries, hitting four boundaries while Mendis scored 43 from 52 balls.

Their back-to-back dismissals triggered a collapse in the Sri Lankan batting lineup and resulted in the former champions to slip from 181/5 to 233 all out.

Logan van Beek, Ryan Klein, Vikramjit Singh and Saqib Zulfiqar bagged two wickets each for the Netherlands while Aryan Dutt made one scalp.

Set to chase a modest 234, the Netherlands batting lineup faltered and could only raise 105 before being bundled out in the 24th over.

Dutch opener Max O’Dowd waged a lone battle with a cautious 33 from 63 deliveries while Logan van Beek remained the other notable run-getter with an unbeaten 20.

Maheesh Theekshana led the bowling attack for Sri Lanka with 4/31 followed Dilshan Madushanka’s 3/18 while Wanindu Hasaranga bagged two wickets.

It is pertinent to mention that both Sri Lanka and the Netherlands had already booked their spots in the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023, scheduled to commence on October 5.

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Dominant Sri Lanka thump West Indies in CWC Qualifier

HARARE: Maheesh Theekshana’s astonishing figures of 4/34, followed by Pathum Nissanka’s century powered Sri Lanka to crush West Indies by eight wickets in the Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifier.

Set to chase a modest 244-run target, Pathum Nissanka’s anchoring century knock paved the way for Sri Lanka to complete the pursuit for the loss of just two wickets with 34 balls to spare.

Sri Lankan openers Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne scripted a solid start to the run chase with a sensible 193-run partnership which lasted with the latter’s dismissal in the 34th over.

Nissanka struck 14 boundaries on his way to a 113-ball 104.

Karunaratne soon followed his opening partner’s footsteps in the 37th over when he also walked back to the pavilion when Sri Lanka needed 40 more runs.

He scored 83 off 92 deliveries with the help of seven boundaries.

With both openers back in the pavilion, wicketkeeper batter Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama made sure there were no more hiccups in the run chase and put on an unbeaten partnership.

Mendis scored 34 not out off 43 deliveries, hitting three boundaries while Samarawickrama scored an unbeaten 17.

Kevin Sinclair and Akeal Hosein could pick a wicket apiece for West Indies.

Put into bat first in their last CWC Qualifier fixture, the West Indies batting lineup once again faltered and thus the two-time champions, already knocked out of the World Cup qualification race, could only pile 243 runs on the scoreboard.

The Caribbean side after a cautious start, kept losing wickets at an alarming rate before eventually bowling out for a meagre total.

Their partnership came for the ninth wicket when Keacy Carty and Kevin Sinclair added 63 runs to the total.

Carty waged a lone battle for West Indies amid their dismal show with the bat with a gutsy 87-run knock from 96 deliveries, hitting six boundaries and a six.

Opening batter Johnson Charles (39), Romario Shepherd (25) and Sinclair (25) were the other significant contributor for the West Indies.

Maheesh Theekshana spearheaded Sri Lanka’s bowling attack with 4/35, followed by debutant Dushan Hemantha’s 2/49.

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King’s century scripts West Indies’ consolation win in CWC Qualifier

HARARE: Brandon King’s century after a tight bowling display lifted West Indies to claim a seven-wicket consolation victory over Oman in the ongoing Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifier Super Six.

Set to chase a modest target, West Indies amassed 222 runs for the loss of just three wickets with 62 balls to spare at the back of a calculated century by their opener King.

The former champions got off to an unwanted start to the pursuit as they lost their opener Johnson Charles (4) in the second over with just seven on the scoreboard.

West Indies, however, soon recovered from the early dismissal courtesy of a brilliant second-wicket partnership between King and Keacy Carty.

The pair batted sensibly on a challenging surface and added 80 runs before Carty got run out in the 17th over after scoring 29 off 49 deliveries with the help of three boundaries.

Skipper Shai Hope then joined King in the middle and further solidify West Indies’ command on the game as the duo added 97 runs before King perished briefly after completing his hundred.

He smashed 15 boundaries on his way to a 104-ball 100.

Hope, on the other hand, carried his bat all the way through and steered his side to the consolation victory after an unbeaten 39-run partnership with Nicholas Pooran, who scored 19 not out.

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West Indian captain remained unbeaten with a 65-ball 63 which featured four boundaries and two sixes.

Kaleemullah and Bilal Khan could pick a wicket apiece for Oman, who remained winless in the CWC Qualifier Super Six.

Put into bat first, Oman’s batting lineup struggled against a dominant West Indian bowling attack and could raise 222/9 in the allotted 50 overs.

Shoaib Khan and Suraj Kumar batted brilliantly and scored half-centuries, however, vile support from the rest of the batters barred the two from guiding his side to a competitive total.

Shoaib scored 50 from 54 balls, hitting five boundaries and a six while Suraj top-scored for Oman with an unbeaten 53 off 65 deliveries and struck as many boundaries.

Romario Shepherd led the bowling attack for the West Indies with 3/44, followed by Kyle Mayers who returned with 2/31.

It is worth mentioning here that the two-time champions West Indies have already been knocked out of contention to qualify for the ICC Men’s World Cup following their shocking defeat against Scotland in the CWC Qualifier Super Six.

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Ireland edge Nepal to finish seventh in CWC Qualifier

HARARE: Harry Tector and Curtis Campher scored half-centuries and propelled Ireland to a narrow two-wicket victory over Nepal and finish seventh in the ongoing Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifier.

Put into bat first, Nepal piled up a decent total of 268/9 on the scoreboard at the back of a collective effort by their batters, led by Gulshan Jha’s half-century.

Batting first, Nepal had a shaky start to their innings as they were 44/2 in the 13th over after opener Kushal Bhurtel (8) and Gyanendra Malla (7) perished cheaply.

Following the slump, opening batter Arjun Saud got the support of his skipper Rohit Paudel and the duo added 50 runs for the third wicket until the latter fell in the 23rd over.

Paudel scored 29 off 35 balls with the help of two boundaries and a six.

Nepal were then jolted by another blow in the span of three overs as Saud was trapped by Gareth Delany and fell just two short of his half-century. He scored 48 off 84 balls, hitting three boundaries and two sixes.

Middle-order batter Kushal Malla took the reigns of Nepal’s batting effort after Saud’s dismissal as he scored a quickfire 44 off 38 balls and put on an important 59-wicket partnership for the fifth wicket with Bhim Sharki, who scored 20.

With the side struggling at 169/7 in 37.2 overs, lower-order batters Gulshan Jha and Sandeep Lamichhane stitched an astounding 80-run partnership for the eighth wicket.

The pair frustrated Irish bowlers until Mark Adair got rid of Lamichhane in the penultimate over. He played a vital 32-run knock on 30 deliveries.

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Gulshan Jha, on the other hand, carried his bat all the way through and scored a gritty 57 off 42 balls, smashing four boundaries and three sixes.

For Ireland, Craig Young, Adair and Barry McCarthy bagged two wickets each.

Set to chase 269, Ireland amassed the total on the second delivery of the final over for the loss of eight wickets.

Ireland had a shaky start to the run chase as they were 23/2 in the sixth over after Andy McBrine (17) and Andy Balbirine (1) fell in successive overs.

Following back-to-back blows, Harry Tector joined Paul Stirling (15) in the middle and put on a brief 37-run partnership which lasted when Gulshan Jha castled the latter in the 12th over.

Tector then stitched another crucial partnership for Ireland when he added 58 runs for the fourth wicket with Lorcan Tucker before both fell in quick successions, leaving Ireland reeling at 134/5 in 26 overs.

Tector scored 60 off 76 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and two sixes while Tucker could score 24 off 22.

Curtis Campher then stood up for Ireland in the run chase and played a crucial knock and pave the way for his side to pull off the victory.

Campher top-scored for Ireland with a 59-ball 62 which featured eight boundaries and a six.

Following his dismissal, George Dockrell (33), Gareth Delany (16) and Mark Adair (18) made important contributions at the end of a tense run chase.

READ: Scotland rest Zimbabwe’s World Cup hopes with a stunning victory

Sri Lanka edge Netherlands to retain dominance in CWC Qualifiers

HARARE: Dhananjaya de Silva played a fighting 93-run knock before bowlers held their nerves calm to edge the spirited Netherlands by 21 runs to stay unbeaten in the Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifier.

Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka found themselves in a state of bother when the former champions lost half of their batters with a meagre 67 runs on the scoreboard.

All-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva then recovered Sri Lanka to a respectable total of 213 with a gutsy knock and batted for almost 39 overs.

He stood his ground firm and put on valuable partnerships with Wanindu Hasaranga (20) and Maheesh Theekshana (28), who made significant contributions to Sri Lanka’s total.

Dhananjaya de Silva batted with utter domination and was looking solid to notch up his maiden ODI century but Aryan Dutt spoiled his plans by getting rid of him in the 47th over.

He fell just seven short of his maiden ODI ton and top-scored for Sri Lanka with a gritty 93 off 111 deliveries, laced up with eight boundaries and two sixes.

Logan van Beek and Bas de Leede led the bowling attack for Sri Lanka with three scalps each while Saqib Zulfiqar had two to his name.

Chasing a modest total, the Netherlands fell 21 runs short of claiming another famous victory despite half-centuries by skipper Scott Edwards and Wesley Barresi.

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The Dutch, after a horrible start to their run chase, soon recovered at the back of a sensible third-wicket partnership between Barresi and Max O’Dowd.

The pair added 77 runs in the run chase before Barresi and Teja Nidamanuru (0) perished in quick successions, forcing the Netherlands to slip to 91/4.

Barresi scored a brisk 52 off 50 deliveries with the help of six boundaries and a six.

Following twin dismissals, Bas de Leede received subtle support at the other end in the form of his skipper Scott Edwards.

The duo kept Netherlands’ pursuit alive with a crucial fifth-wicket stand which saw them adding 36 runs to the total until Maheesh Theekshana castled de Leede, who scored 41 off 53 balls.

The Netherlands, having lost half of their side for a mere 127 runs while chasing 214, had their hopes aligned with skipper Edwards standing tall and ticking the scoreboard while batting with the tail.

Dutch captain Edwards fought valiantly with his unbeaten knock but ran out of partners when his Sri Lankan counterpart Dasun Shanaka castled Aryan Dutt to claim a narrow victory.

Edwards scored 67 off 68 deliveries, smashing four boundaries and two sixes but ended up on the losing side.

Maheesh Theekshana was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka with 3/31, followed by Wanindu Hasaranga who returned with 2/53 in his 10 overs.

Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka and Shanaka, however, struck out a batter apiece.

READ: Sri Lanka edge Netherlands to retain dominance in CWC Qualifiers

Ireland crush USA in CWC Qualifier seventh place playoff semi-final

HARARE: Dominant Ireland put on an all-round show to register a resounding six-wicket victory over the United States of America (USA) in the seventh place playoff semi-final of the Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifier.

Put into bat first, USA could only post a meagre total of 196 before bundling in the 43rd over despite half-centuries by opener Sushant Modani and Saiteja Mukkamalla.

The USA had a dismal start to their innings as the associate side was two down with just 33 runs on the scoreboard in the seventh after Steven Taylor (23) and skipper Monank Patel (0) perished on two successive deliveries.

Following the early setback, Modani and Mukkamalla anchored the innings with a gutsy third-wicket partnership.

The pair added 78 runs to the total before Ireland found a much-needed breakthrough in the 23rd over as Andy McBrine ran out Mukkamalla.

He scored 55 off 46 deliveries with the help of five boundaries.

Opener Modani, however, stood his ground firm and put on brief partnerships with Gajanand Singh (10) and Abhishek Paradkar (0) before finally perishing in the 31st over, leaving the USA reeling at 151/6.

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He remained the joint top-scorer for the USA with a cautious 93-ball 55 which featured four boundaries.

Lower-order batter Usman Rafiq played an important cameo of a 37-ball 28 before the Irish bowlers booked the USA for a modest total.

Craig Young led the bowling attack for Ireland with 3/35, followed by Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy and Andy McBrine, who took two wickets each.

Set to chase a modest total, Ireland batters showcased a collective effort to comfortably complete the pursuit for the loss of four wickets and 94 balls to spare.

Hard-hitting opener Paul Stirling was the pick of their batters, courtesy of his brisk half-century. He also remained Ireland’s top-scorer with 58 off 45 deliveries, hitting nine boundaries and two sixes.

Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie played an important knock in the run chase and remained unbeaten. He scored 45 off 58 deliveries and hit four boundaries.

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Ton-up Williams powers Zimbabwe to thump Oman in CWC Qualifier

BULAWAYO: In-form Sean Williams struck a quickfire 142 before bowlers held their nerves calm and kept spirited Oman at bay in the first Super Six fixture of the Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifier.

Put into bat first, Zimbabwe piled up a massive total of 332/7 on the scoreboard at the back of a brisk century by Sean Williams.

The in-form batter smashed 14 boundaries and three sixes on his way to top-score for Zimbabwe with a 103-ball 142.

He baton charged Oman bowlers with clean hitting and carried on his red-hot form in the ongoing CWC Qualifier.

Besides him, Sikandar Raza and Luke Jongwe made valuable contributions and lifted Zimbabwe to a commendable total.

Raza, Zimbabwe’s another in-form batter, played a cautious 42-run knock from 49 balls with the help of six boundaries.

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Later at the backend, Jongwe played a contrasting knock and bolstered Zimbabwe’s total. He scored 43 off 28 deliveries, hitting four boundaries.

Fayyaz Butt was the pick of the bowlers for Oman with four wickets but was expensive as he leaked 79 runs in his 10 overs. Kaleemullah and Bilal Khan, on the other hand, made one scalp each.

Set to chase 333, Oman fell just 14 runs short of stunning the dominant hosts Zimbabwe as they could accumulate 318/9 in their quota of 50 overs.

Opening batter Kashyap Prajapati glimmered the ray of hope for Oman to claim a stunning victory with a brisk century and laid solid foundation to pull of the run chase.

He scored 103 off 97 deliveries, smashing 12 boundaries and a six.

Besides him, Ayaan Khan (47), Aqib Ilyas (45) and skipper Zeeshan Maqsood (37) were the other notable contributors while Mohammad Nadeem played a fighting cameo.

Nadeem struck an unbeaten 30 off 18 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and a six but fell short of steering his side to glory.

Blessing Muzarabani and Tendai Chatara led the bowling attack for Zimbabwe with three wickets each followed by Richard Ngarava.

READ: Ton-up Williams powers Zimbabwe to thump Oman in CWC Qualifier

Stirling, bowlers script Ireland’s lone victory in CWC Qualifier

BULAWAYO: Hard-hitting opener Paul Stirling played a swashbuckling 162-run knock before a combined effort from the bowlers powered Ireland to their only victory in the ongoing Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifier.

Ireland finally got their opener Paul Stirling yielding runs but it was too late as his best knock of the CWC Qualifier came when the side had already run out of the Super Sixes contention.

Paul Stirling was at his very best against UAE in a Group B bottom clash as he fired Ireland to a mammoth total of 349/4 in 50 overs after they were put into bat first by the UAE captain Muhammad Waseem.

The right-handed batter smoked 15 boundaries and eight sixes amid his astounding knock and top-scored for Ireland with a 134-ball 162.

Besides him, Harry Tector scored a quickfire and further bolstered Ireland’s total while skipper Andy Balbirine played a cautious 66-run knock from 88 deliveries.

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Tector, on the other hand, smashed four boundaries and two sixes on his way to a 33-ball 57.

Sanchit Sharma stood out with the ball for the UAE with 3/46 in seven overs while the rest went for plenty.

Set to chase a daunting 350-run target, UAE bundled out for a meagre 211 in 29 overs despite a decent start from their openers.

UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem scripted a flying start to the run chase and played a brisk 45-run knock early on before having an unlucky exit in the eighth over.

He faced 32 deliveries and struck six boundaries and two sixes.

UAE failed to capitalize on a strong foundation led by Muhammad Waseem’s brisk knock and began to lose wickets at regular intervals before Ireland finally bowled them out in 29 overs to register their only victory in the CWC Qualifier.

Besides Waseem, Basil Hameed (39) and Sanchit Sharma (44) remained the other notable run-scorers for UAE.

Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Andy McBrine and Josh Little bagged two wickets each for Scotland while Barry McCarthy made one scalp each.

READ: Bowlers-led Sri Lanka crush Scotland in CWC Qualifier

Bowlers-led Sri Lanka crush Scotland in CWC Qualifier

BULAWAYO: Sri Lankan bowlers put on a scintillating show and defended a modest total to muscle their side to a resounding 82-run victory over Scotland in the 19th match of the Cricket World Cup (CWC) Qualifier on Tuesday.

Put into bat first, the Sri Lankan batting lineup could not fire as anticipated and accumulated a modest 245 before being bowled out in the final over.

Sri Lankan openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis scripted a flying start by charging on the Scottish bowlers right from the start.

Their domination, however, did not last long as Chris Sole castled Karunaratne in the fifth over, who could score just seven off nine deliveries.

Sri Lanka then lost another wicket in the form of Kusal Mendis (one from 16) in the ninth over with just 43 runs on the scoreboard.

Following two back-to-back blows, Sadeera Samarawickrama offered subtle support to opener Pathum Nissanka, who managed to remain firm at the crease.

The pair anchored Sri Lanka’s innings before Samarawickrama perished in the 20th over after scoring 26 off 35.

Nissanka then joined forces with Dhananjaya de Silva and put on an important 44-run partnership before finally perishing in the 29th over.

He remained the top-scorer for Sri Lanka with 75 off 85 deliveries, hitting 10 boundaries.

Following his dismissal, Charith Assalanka walked out to bat and stitched a crucial partnership with Dhananjaya de Silva when Sri Lanka were reeling at 142/4 in the 29th over.

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The pair added 61 runs to Sri Lanka’s total before the side ran into a collapse and soon bundled out for a mere 245 runs in the final over.

Assalanka, who perished in the 41st over remained the second top-scorer for Sri Lanka with a 65-ball 63 which included four boundaries and two sixes.

Chris Greaves led the bowling attack for Scotland with 4/32 followed by Mark Watt’s 3/52.

Set to chase 246, Scotland’s batting lineup failed completely and could only accumulate 163 runs before getting booked in 29 overs.

Star with the ball Chris Greaves also found himself among runs with the bat and scored a fighting half-century down the order.

He top-scored for Scotland with a brisk 56 off 41 deliveries, smashing seven boundaries and two sixes.

His gutsy knock, however, could not steer Scotland to glory as the rest of their batters failed to contribute significantly in the run chase.

Maheesh Theekshana was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka as he took three wickets for 41 runs while Wanindu Hasarnga made two scalps.

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Netherlands prevail after Super Over to dent West Indies WC hopes

HARARE: Logan van Beek put on a scintillating all-round show in the Super Over and propelled the Netherlands to a narrow 22-run victory over West Indies after the 18th match of the CWC Qualifier ended as a tie.

Put into bat first, West Indies piled up a massive 374/6 on the scoreboard in a must-win CWC Qualifier group stage clash against the Netherlands with Nicholas Pooran leading the charge with a quickfire century.

West Indian openers Brandon King and Johnson Charles scripted a solid start with a quick 101-run partnership and both scored half-centuries.

Charles scored a 55-ball 54 with the help of nine boundaries and a six before making his way back to the dugout in the 18th over.

King, on the other hand, stood his ground firm and put on a brief partnership with Shamarh Brooks (25) before finally perishing in the 29th over, scoring 78. He faced 81 deliveries and smashed 11 boundaries.

With West Indies slipped to 163/3 in 28.1 overs, skipper Shai Hope got the support of hard-hitting batter Nicholas Pooran, who bolstered the total with his quickfire knock.

The pair of Hope and Pooran added 108 runs to the total until Bas de Leede got rid of Hope in the 41st over. He scored 47 off 38 deliveries, hitting three boundaries and two sixes.

Meanwhile, Pooran, who was the core aggressor of the fourth-wicket stand, put on brief partnerships with Romario Shepherd (0) and Jason Holder (8) before receiving firm support at the other in the form of Keemo Paul.

Paul supported Pooran well in the death overs, who continued to dominate the Dutch bowlers and finished with a century. Paul, on the other hand, also carried his bat all the way through with a brisk 25-ball 46, featuring four boundaries and two sixes.

Pooran top-scored for West Indies with an unbeaten 104 off just 65 deliveries, laced with nine boundaries and six sixes.

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Set to chase a massive total of 375, a quickfire century by Teja Nidamanuru and a quickfire Logan van Beek cameo lifted the Netherlands to finish exactly level with West Indies’ total but for the loss of nine wickets.

Teja Nidamanuru, who gave life to the Dutch run-chase, top-scored for his side with a sensational 111 from a mere 76 balls with the help of 11 boundaries and three sixes.

Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards, who put on a 143-run partnership with Nidamanuru, played a pivotal role in his side’s run chase with a 47-ball 67.

Later on in the innings, Logan van Beek’s sensational cameo of a 14-ball 28 took the Netherlands in touching distance from the glory but he perished on the final delivery when his side needed just one run and thus, the CWC fixture ended as a tie.

The high-scoring thriller between West Indies and Netherlands then entered the Super Over with the Dutch to bat first.

Netherlands’ captain Scott Edwards opted to stand up and walked out to bat alongside hard-hitter Logan van Beek with Jason Holder to bowl for the West Indies.

Edwards, however, did not have to face a single delivery as Logan van Beek struck all of them for a boundary – three fours and three sixes – to register the highest total (30) in the Super Over history.

West Indies then had a mountain to climb to claim two vital points heading into the CWC Qualifier Super Sixes and had to chase down 31 runs in just six deliveries.

Johnson Charles and Shai Hope came out to bat for West Indies while Scott Edwards showed his belief in Logan van Beek’s skills with the ball also.

The first delivery of the West Indies Super Over went in their favour as Charles smoked van Beek for a maximum.

Right-arm pacer van Beek, however, soon recollected himself and bowled the next two deliveries in block holes, settling West Indies for a couple on each delivery.

He then dismissed Charles and Romario Shepherd on the next two deliveries to complete a stunning 22-run victory for the Netherlands.

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