Despite losing Logan Van beek, Namibia took the attack to the Dutch bowlers. With Gerhard Erasmus and Loftie-Eaton at the crease, Namibia stepped on the accelerator after the halfway mark, scoring 29 runs in two overs. However, Netherlands stuck back with the wicket of Gerhard Erasmus, who hit two fours and a six for a quickfire 18.
Two overs later, the dangerous Loftie-Eaton fell trying another big hit off Van Beek. The Namibian batter impressed with breezy innings of 42 off 38 balls, while the experienced JJ Smit chipped in with 22. Though they lost quick wickets in the second half, a smattering of big hits kept Namibian score ticking and they pushed past 150.
While Dutt provided the breakthrough, Van Beek and Bas De Leede were the most successful bowlers for Netherlands on Tuesday, claiming two wickets each.
In response, Netherlands made a strong start, scoring 50 in the powerplay, but they lost two big wickets in the first six overs. While Bernard Scholtz dismissed Max O’Dowd, Michael Levitt fell in the final over of powerplay as he looked to press the advantage. The big-hitting Levitt hit three sixes and a four, but miscued a shot off Ruben Trumpelmann to depart for a15-ball 28.
Bas De Leede and Colin Ackermann (32) took on the reigns and guided their team to relative safety with a 70-run stand.
De Leede, who struck a six to bring up the 100 for Netherlands in the 13th over, carried the team past the finish line with a superb half-century. He made batting look easy on a tricky pitch, slamming five fours and four sixes as Netherlands finished at 159/3 in 18 overs.
