The champion teams show their true colors in the face of adversity. The most successful team in World Cup history took their winning streak to three by demolishing the Netherlands in their fifth game. Glenn Maxwell finally put injury woes behind him with the 3rd ODI century of his career. David Warner scored a ton for the second game running to steer Australia to a massive total. The Australians strengthened their fourth spot while the group stage is slowly moving towards its decisive stage.
Team Lineups
Travis Head is nearing his return to action, but this game came too early for the explosive Aussie opener. This might be the last chance for Marnus Labuschagne to prove his worth before making space for Travis Head. Marcus Stoinis was out with a minor calf strain. Australia chose a like-for-like change with young all-rounder Cameron Green coming to take Stoinis’ place.
The Netherlands have shocked the cricketing world with their history-making victory against South Africa. The Dutch side has lost all of their other three games but has shown courage and resilience throughout the tournament. The Netherlands opted for an unchanged XI from their latest loss to Sri Lanka.
Australia
- David Warner 2. Mitchell Marsh 3. Steve Smith 4. Marnus Labuschagne 5. Josh Inglis (WK) 6. Glenn Maxwell 7. Cameron Green 8. Pat Cummins (Cap.) 9. Mitchell Starc 10. Josh Hazlewood 11. Adam Zampa
Netherlands
- Vikramjit Singh 2. Max O’Dowd 3. Colin Ackermann 4. Bas de Leede 5. Teja Nidamanuru 6. Scott Edwards (Cap.) (WK) 7. Sybrand Engelbrecht 8. Logan van Beek 9. Roelof van der Merwe 10. Aryan Dutt 11. Paul van Meekeren
Australian captain Pat Cummins won the toss and decided to bat first. This was the surface that saw the run-fest between South Africa and Sri Lanka. The pitch looked to be in a perfect condition for batting. The ball was supposed to slide onto the bat nicely. Bowling can be tougher in the second innings in case of dew. The spin bowlers were also supposed to get some turn out of the wicket after 30 overs.
Fixture
| Venue | The 24th game of the 2023 World Cup was played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi |
| Date | The game started from 02:00 pm IST on Wednesday, October 25 |
Captaincy & Tactics
Tempted by the Aussie batters’ apparent weakness in spin bowling, Netherlands started with spin from both ends of the ground. The introduction of pace on the 4th over made an immediate impact, with Logan van Beek picking up Mitchell Marsh. The genius of Steve Smith was on show in his partnership with David Warner. The pair adopted a safe approach against the spin bowlers; they played 65% of their deliveries on the back foot against spin bowling. But the carnage happened during the final ten overs, with Tim de Leede becoming the punching bag for Maxwell.
Australian pacers bowled brilliantly to make early inroads during the Dutch reply. Vikramjit Singh was playing impressively by timing the ball along the ground. Then Mitchell Marsh, along with Adam Zampa, cleaned off the tail to secure a momentous win. Adam Zampa was fearsome with his googlies and regular leg breaks. The Dutch batsmen inexplicably tried to play the ball while standing deep in their crease. Mitchell Marsh bowled with verve and hit the deck hard to claim two wickets.
Batting Analysis
David Warner became the highest-century scorer for Australia at the World Cups after bringing up the 22nd ODI century of his career. Warner started him in a typical manner, cutting and driving the ball through the offside. The cut shots brought Warner 30 runs. He hit 11 fours and 3 huge sixes to reach the milestone. The New South Wales sensation is becoming the talisman Australia needs at the worst of times.
Glenn Maxwell just averaged 12.4 in 2023 before this match. The bombastic opener rolled back the year by showcasing his amazing range of hitting ability. Maxwell started off rather cautiously, with 32 runs scored from the first 21 balls. Then he changed gear just at the right moment.
It started by reverse scooping a Bas de Leede delivery over the third-man fielder. After that, it was an absolute mayhem.
There were 8 sixes and 9 fours in his solo show of how to hit the cricket ball. Maxwell broke the record of the fastest World Cup hundred set by Aiden Markram just 18 days before, reaching the milestone in just 40 balls. He brought up the “rocking cradle” celebration to dedicate the historic moment for his newborn son Logan.
Bas de Leede was the worst recipient of the Maxwell bashing, conceding 55 runs from just 19 deliveries. He was hit for 5 sixes and 4 fours, losing his line and length in the process. The young midfielder will try to erase his memory quickly, but the record books will repeatedly remind him of this disastrous day.
Steve Smith got a much-needed fifty in this inning. The right-hander averages just 28.00 in ODIs this year, scoring 280 runs in 10 innings. Smith scored an eye-soothing innings of 71 from 68 deliveries before getting caught by Roelof van der Merwe.
Marnus Labuschagne is another person who needed some runs as Travis Head nears his return to the team. The South African batsman will likely be the one axed from the playing even to make space for the explosive opener. Labuschagne showed plenty of positive intent in his 62 off 47 balls.
The less said about the Dutch innings, the better. Vikramjit Singh is the only batter to show some positivity by hitting 6 boundaries in his innings of 25. Only four other batsmen reached double figures for the Netherlands. The last 5 wickets fell for just 6 runs. Captain Scott Edwards helplessly watched from the non-striker end as his teammates were getting dismissed by Adam Zampa’s wrist spin.
Bowling Analysis
Adam Zampa had a fine day out on the pitch. He picked up his third consecutive four-wicker haul by removing the Dutch tail. But Zampa’s cause of celebration doesn’t end there. He is finally off record books as Tim de Leede replaced him as the most expensive bowler in ODI history by conceding 115 runs. De Leede gave away 28 runs in the final over as Maxwell went ballistic in the field. He was culpable for some juicy full tosses and delivering in the slot, which disappeared into the Delhi crowd.
Logan van Beek claimed four wickets by attacking the stumps regularly. The right-arm seamer varied his pace to deceive the Australian batter. It was a spirited performance from him despite conceding 74 from 10 overs. Colin Ackerman kept things tidy on his early spell, giving away only 19 from 4 overs. Aryan Dutt was the only other bowler to get a wicket, though his economy of 8.43 suggests he was not spared from the Australian power hitting.
Adam Zampa has become the highest wicket-taker in this tournament with 13. After initially struggling in the first two games, the 31-year-old spinner is back at his best. The Dutch batters could not read his googlies; they had no answer to the craftsmanship of a master artist. Zampa had to deliver 18 deliveries to secure 4 wickets at the cost of 8 runs.
Mitchell Marsh has bowled only 30 deliveries this year. 24 of them came against the Netherlands. The stocky all-rounder picked up two wickets with a fine range of short-pitch deliveries. Mitchell Starc has picked up at least one wicket for the 23-game running. Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins got a wicket each. The Dutch innings only lasted for 21 overs. It is the biggest margin of defeat in terms of runs at the World Cup.
Fielding Analysis
In the face of an Australian onslaught, the Dutch fielders needed to be in perfect shape to back up the struggling bowlers. But the poor fielding aggravated the situation massively. Max O’Dowd failed to take the chance of running David Warner out when he was at 32. Roelof van der Merwe failed to grab a sharp opportunity at midwicket to catch Warner, who was at 73. Van der Merwe would redeem himself later, though, taking a sharp catch to dismiss Steve Smith. Sybrand Engelbrecht pouched both Inglis and Maxwell safely to give the Dutch momentary respite. Aryan Dutt also completed two catches.
David Warner has been a fantastic fielder throughout his career. The vintage was on show for this match also when he jumped brilliantly and caught Sybrand Engelbrecht at the square leg boundary. Glenn Maxwell hit the bulls to run Vikramjit Singh out.
Josh Inglis finished with two catches; the sharp low catch to dismiss Logan van Beek was fantastic to watch. The Australians are getting better at every department as the tournament progresses – an ominous sign for the other teams.
Key Performances
David Warner scored back-to-back centuries with wonderful innings of 104 runs. Glenn Maxwell set a new record for the quickest century in the ODI World Cup after reaching three figures in just 40 balls. Steve Smith got himself back among runs with an innings of 71, while Marnus Labuschagne sent a message to the team management by scoring a quickfire innings of 62 from 47 balls. Logan van Beek was the pick of the Dutch bowlers, with 4 wickets for 74 runs. Bas de Leede broke the ignominious record of the highest runs conceded in an ODI innings (115 runs).
Netherlands’ batting performance left much to be desired, with none of the batters making it to the 30 mark. Vikramjit Singh was the top scorer with a run-a-ball 25. Teja Nidamanuru contributed 14 to the Dutch scoreboard, and skipper Scott Edwards added an unbeaten 12 as the team got all out at 90. Adam Zampa bowled with aplomb and claimed a four-wicket haul for just 8 runs. After failing with the bat, Mitchell Marsh came good with the ball by dismissing two of the Dutch batters.
Turning Point
Australia lost three wickets in four overs, and Glenn Maxwell came out to bat. Maxwell threw punches all around the ground. After the introduction of Glenn Maxwell, Australia started finding regular boundaries with at least one in every over. Maxwell’s power surge during the death overs not only showed Australia the way out of a tricky situation but also enabled the Aussies to post a target of 400.
Maxwell hit a flurry of boundaries all along the ground; Bas de Leede especially received some whacking from the right-hander. Maxwell got out on 106 himself before he perished on a ball by Logan van Beek.
Match Result
Australia set a new world record by crushing the Netherlands by a mammoth sum of 309 runs and boosted their net run rate.
Player of the Match
For his record-shattering ton off just 40 balls, Glenn Maxwell was adjudged to be the best performer of the match.
Brief Scorecard
| Australia Total: 399/8 (50 overs) | Netherlands Total: 90/10 (21 overs) |
| Glenn Maxwell 106 (44) | Vikramjit Singh 25 (25) |
| David Warner 104 (93) | Teja Nidamanuru 14 (18) |
| Logan van Beek 4/74 | Adam Zampa 4/8 |
| Bas de Leede 2/115 | Mitchell Marsh 2/19 |
Match Highlights
Match Wrap-Up
Australians kept their semi-final hopes alive with a commanding win over the Netherlands. David Warner and Glenn Maxwell worked in tandem to dismantle the Dutch bowling and put 399 on the board. Adam Zampa and Mitchell Marsh shone with the ball to clean up the Dutch batting order, and they failed to reach even the 100 mark. Australia will face an impressive New Zealand side in an “all-Oceania affair” on Saturday. The Netherlands will hope to clinch their second win in the tournament when they clash with Bangladesh at the iconic Eden Gardens on Saturday.
