T20 WC: Never nice to be on losing side: Namibia skipper Erasmus after loss to Netherlands
Oct 18, 2022
Geelong [Australia], October 18 : Following his side's five-wicket loss to the Netherlands, Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus said that his side experienced phases in the match where they did not put enough contact with the bat.
The Netherlands prevailed over Namibia in another low-scoring thriller by nine wickets at the Simonds Stadium, Geelong to clinch their second straight victory in the ICC T20 World Cup on Tuesday.
"Never nice to be on the losing side when it's so close. We put a good show in the field. With the bat, it seemed difficult for both sides but they ran better than us. There were enough stages in the game where we did not put enough contact on the bat and did not move things better," said Erasmus in a post-match presentation.
With this victory, the Netherlands are at the top of their points table, with two wins in two matches and four points. Namibia is in the second position with two points and one win in two games.
Opting to bat first, Namibia put up 121/6 in their 20 overs. A 41-run stand for the fifth wicket between Jan Frylinck (43 off 48 balls) and captain Gerhard Erasmus (16 off 18 balls) proved to be extremely important for the side. Michael van Lingen (20) also played a decent knock.
Bas de Leede was the leading bowler for the Dutch, taking 2/18 in three overs. Tim Pringle, Colin Ackermann, Paul van Meekeren and Roelof van der Merwe picked up a wicket each.
Chasing 122, openers Max ODowd (35 off 35 balls) and Vikramjit Singh (39 off 31 balls) gave Dutch a solid start, putting up an opening stand of 59 runs. Bas de Leede (30* off 30 balls) kept one end steady as his side lost some quick wickets on the other side, helping it chase down the total with three balls to spare and five wickets in hand.
JJ Smit (2/24) was the pick of the bowlers for the Netherlands. Bernard Scholtz and Frylinck also took a wicket each.
Bas De Leede got the 'Man of the Match' for his all-round performance.
