Roelof van der Merwe grabbed a stunning catch to dismiss South Africa’s David Miller as Netherlands pulled off an almighty upset to knock the Proteas out of the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Put in to bat first, the Netherlands posted 158/4 on the board in their stipulated over, with Colin Ackermann scoring an unbeaten 41 off 26 balls. In reply, South Africa could only manage 145 for the loss of 8 wickets, with the right-arm pacer Brandon Glover scalping three wickets for the Netherlands.
Apart from the brilliant display of batting and bowling, the Dutch also showcased excellent fielding against the Proteas. In the 16th over of the second innings, Glover banged one short and Miller went for a pull but ended up hitting the ball high in the air. Van der Merwe, fielding at backward square leg, ran back and stretched full length to his left to catch the ball. He took one of the best catches in the tournament.
Here’s the video:
Pure magic from Roelof van der Merwe!
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Miller walked back to the dugout for run-a-ball 17, and his departure finished the chase for South Africa. If that catch had not been taken, then inform Miller would have taken his side over the line with plenty of balls to spare.
After the match, Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said it’s going to take a bit of time to take in their win against South Africa.
“I am lost for words. Went so fast. This is going to take a bit of time to take it all in. We are used to these conditions in Netherlands. We were confident around the 160 mark to defend this. Another great experience, another big upset from the Netherlands. Absolute goal for us after losing the first two games that we are still playing for a spot in the next World Cup. Two results go our way and we are straight through for the next World Cup.”