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ODI world cup 2023 Cricket

'ODI cricket at its very best' - Fans react to Afghanistan and Netherlands' coup in 2023 ODI World Cup

Afghanistan produced the first upset of the 2023 ODI World Cup by beating defending champions England by 69 runs in Delhi on October 15.

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Mathew K
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Afghanistan, Netherlands (Source: Twitter)

Afghanistan, Netherlands (Source: Twitter)

Two upsets in a span of just three days! Yes, ODI cricket is at its best and Cricket World Cup 2023 is at its absolute best! Afghanistan first stunned the cricket fraternity with a dominating win over defending champions England, and then the Netherlands sprung another surprise by defeating the dangerous South Africa. The two underdogs might not win the tournament, but could certainly spoil the party of the many more favourites in the upcoming matches. 

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South Africa came off the back of two impressive wins against Sri Lanka and five-time champions Australia. They were on the top as well after the Netherlands suffered an early collapse in the first innings in Dharamsala. However, their skipper Scott Edwards and ex-Proteas all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe turned the game around with some remarkable knocks. 

The Dutch team posted a competitive total of 245 in a rain-curtailed 43-over match. Given the firepower South Africa have in their ranks, the chase was expected to be a cakewalk for them. However, things got out of hand with the loss of four wickets in the first 12 overs. South Africans had hope for their demolishers Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, but Logan van Beek got rid of the former. 

Miller fought for a while but was unable to overcome the Netherlands' fighting spirit. Keshav Maharaj's 37-ball 40 reduced the margin of defeat, but it was all about a historic win for the 'Orange Army'. The Netherlands first time defeated a Test-playing nation in a 50 Overs World Cup. This is the first time South Africa have lost an ODI against an Associate Nation. 

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Afghanistan, Netherlands sounded warning bells for other favourites

But where did the Netherlands get this confidence? When Hashmatullah Shahidi and Co. registered an epic win on October 15 in Delhi. Defeating one of the tournament favourites, they recorded only their second win in the history of the ODI World Cup. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz set the tone with a blazing 80-run knock. But soon the Afghan side suffered a collapse, but staged a brilliant comeback in the end to post a decent total on the board.

A target of 285 was never a threat to a devastating English batting unit, but the Afghanistan spinners made it happen. England kept losing wickets at regular intervals and as a result, they were bowled out for just 215 in 40.3 overs. Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman collectively grabbed eight wickets to break the backbone of the holders. 

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Here's how fans reacted to Afghanistan and Netherlands' coup in 2023 ODI World Cup: 

 

 

 

Afghanistan Netherlands ODI World Cup 2023