ICC T20 World Cup, Netherlands beat UAE: Key stats
Netherlands handed United Arab Emirates an agonizing three-wicket defeat in their Group A opener of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The contest went right down to the wire as UAE put up a great fight while defending 111. However, handy contributions from Max O'Dowd, Scott Edwards and Tim Pringle meant the Dutch side won the game with a ball to spare.
How did the match pan out?
UAE were restricted to 111/8 in their allotted 20 overs after electing to bat first at the Simonds Stadium in Geelong. While opener Muhammad Waseem made a valiant 47-ball 41, no other batter could touch the 20-run mark. Netherlands' chase wasn't really smooth as they also lost wickets on regular intervals. Nevertheless, they managed to cross the line on the penultimate delivery.
Bas de Leede's stellar spell
Fast bowler Bas de Leede did the bulk of the damage to UAE, recording figures of 3/19 in three overs. He first sent back Vriitya Aravind before dismissing Basil Hameed and Chundangapoyil Rizwan cheaply. His figures are the sixth best for a Netherlands bowler in T20 World Cups. He recorded his best spell in the format and has raced to 17 scalps.
Aayan Afzal Khan youngest to feature in T20 WC
As per Kausthub Gudipati, Aayan Afzal Khan became the youngest to appear in a Men's T20 WC match. The all-rounder made his debut in the tournament at the age of 16 years and 335 days. Pakistan's Mohammad Amir previously held this record, having made his T20 WC debut at 17 years and 55 days in the 2009 event.
Feats achieved in the game
Muhammad Waseem recorded the highest individual score by a UAE batter in T20 WC (41). Chirag Suri became the fourth UAE player to complete 800 runs in T20Is (803). Tim Pringle and Fred Klaassen recorded figures of 1/13 and 2/13 respectively. The duo jointly delivered the most economical spell (3.25) by a Netherlands bowler in T20 WCs (only bowlers who completed their quota considered).
Junaid Siddique's brilliance with the ball
Pacer Junaid Siddique led UAE's fightback with a stellar spell. He recorded figures of 3/24 in his four overs, best for a UAE bowler in T20 WC. Siddique first dismissed the well-set Max O'Dowd for 23 before sending Tom Cooper and Roelof van der Merwe to the pavilion. Notably, no other UAE bowler has taken more than two wickets in a T20 WC contest.
Netherlands' sixth win in the competition
Netherlands now have six victories in 16 T20 World Cup matches. Their win tally is more than Test-playing nations Zimbabwe and Ireland, who have five and four victories apiece. Notably, the Dutch side has defeated 2010 T20 WC champions England twice in the gala tournament.
