Engelbrecht, van Beek record rescue act lifts Netherlands to 262
A middle-order resurrection from Sybrand Engelbrecht (70) and Logan van Beek (59) was sandwiched between collapses on either side but helped Netherlands set Sri Lanka a 263run target in their World Cup fixture in Lucknow. Engelbrecht reckoned it was a “very competitive” total on a “tricky” pitch. It wasn’t the best of starts for Netherlands who opted to bat but soon found themselves reeling at 91 for 6. That’s when Engelbrecht and van Beek added 130, which is now the highest partnership for the seventh wicket or below in World Cups. It all started with Kasun Rajitha trapping Vikramjit Singh LBW with an inswinger in the fourth over of the match. The pacer, in his long seven-over opening spell, also added the wickets of Max O’Dowd and Colin Ackermann. Dilshan Madushanka, brought back into the attack after the drinks break, struck in back to back overs, making things even worse for Netherlands. While Bas de Leede ramped Madushanka straight to third man, the left-arm pacer needed a review to trap Teja Nidamanuru LBW. A scoreline of 71/5 became 91/6 when Maheesh Theekshana went through the defences of Scott Edwards and it looked like the side would be bundled out sooner rather than later. That’s when Engelbrecht and van Beek set themselves up for the long haul, picking singles and couples. There was, in fact, a period in Netherlands’ innings where they didn’t score a boundary for almost 21 overs. Engelbrecht broke off from that dry spell with a sweep against Dushan Hemantha in the 31st over. Both batters went on to score their maiden ODI half-centuries, with Engelbrecht being the more aggressive batter during the partnership. The breakthrough for Sri Lanka came only in the 46th over, when Engelbrecht missed a scoop against Madushanka’s yorker. From there on, Netherlands’ 221/6 soon turned into 262 all-out with two balls left in the innings. Rajitha added the wicket of van Beek to return match figures of 4 for 50 while Madushanka’s scalp of van der Merwe helped him register figures of 4 for 49. Brief Scores:
Netherlands 262 in 49.4 overs (Sybrand Engelbrecht 70, Logan van Beek 59, Colin Ackermann 29 ; Dilshan Madushanka 4-49, Kasun Rajitha 4-50) vs Sri Lanka
