However, the Netherlands made an incredible comeback, posting a total of 245-8 within their allotted overs. They then managed to dismiss the previously unbeaten Proteas for 207 runs, winning by a margin of 38 runs. This unexpected turn of events provides hope for teams like England and Australia, both of which have already suffered two losses and, in England's case, still have to face South Africa.
None of the top six Netherlands batsmen delivered a standout performance, with the best effort coming from mid-order batsman Teja Nidamanuru, who contributed 20 runs from 25 balls. However, the real hero of the Netherlands' innings was wicket-keeper Scott Edwards, who led a remarkable fightback with the lower-order batsmen. Edwards remained unbeaten with a score of 78 runs from 69 balls, featuring 10 fours and a six.
Roelof van der Merwe (29) and Aryan Dutt (23), who were positioned at number nine and ten, also played crucial roles in the latter stages of the game, setting a competitive target for South Africa.
South Africa, expected to chase down the target, found themselves in trouble at 44-4 after a 36-run opening partnership, with the departures of Temba Bavuma (16) and Quinton de Kock (20). Henrich Klaasen (28), David Miller (43), and Gerald Coetzee (22) kept South Africa's hopes alive, but the Netherlands bowlers, Roelof van der Merwe (2-34) and Bas de Leede (2-36), managed to maintain control.
To South Africa's credit, Keshav Maharaj (40) and Lungi Ngidi (7*) put on 41 runs for the last wicket, helping to mitigate the impact on their net run-rate. However, their unexpected defeat in what appeared to be an easier match on paper brings several teams back into the running for the top four spots.
