JOHANNESBURG: South Africa secured a dominant victory against the Netherlands by 146 runs in the 3rd World Cup Super League one-day international at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Winning the toss on Pink Day at the Wanderers, the skipper of the Netherlands chose to bowl first and made an impressive start with a couple of early wickets.
South African captain Temba Bavuma was the first to fall for just six runs, while Quinton de Kock followed shortly after to leave South Africa at 32/2.
The following batters were more cautious due to the pitch conditions, while the Netherlands’ bowlers were consistent with their lines and lengths.
The South African batting was anchored by Aiden Markram, who continued his superb form this summer, scoring his maiden ODI century in the 32nd over.
David Miller supported him, and the pair reached a partnership of 199 off 113 before Markram was caught on the boundary for an impressive 175 (126). Miller fell shortly after for 91, as South Africa posted a daunting total of 370/8.
Netherlands’s batting
Although Marco Jansen picked up the quick wicket of Vikramjit Singh in the third over, the Netherlands fought back with a quickfire partnership by Max O’Dowd and Musa Ahmed. They put on 85 off 87 before an inside edge off Magala hit his stumps.
Markram was impressive with the bat and contributed to the ball’s success, ending with figures of 2/40. Ultimately, it was Sisanda Magala who cleaned up the Netherlands, taking 5/43 off nine overs as the required run rate continued to increase.
The Proteas’ win puts them in eighth place in the World Cup Super League and confirms their participation in the next global showpiece in India in October. They won the three-match series against the Netherlands 2-0.
In brief, South Africa scored 370-8 in 50 overs (A. Markram 175, D. Miller 91; F. Klaassen 2-43) against the Netherlands 224 in 39.1 overs (Musa Ahmed 61, M. O’Dowd 47, S. Edwards 42; S. Magala 5-43).
