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South Africa beat the Netherlands by four wickets in the 16th match of the 2024 T20 World Cup at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Saturday (June 8). With a second consecutive win, they are now at the top of the Group D points table.
The Netherlands team batted first in the contest after losing the toss. Their batters struggled on a two-paced surface and crawled to 103/9 in 20 overs. Sybrand Engelbrecht (40) and Logan van Beek (23) contributed significantly. Ottneil Baartman (4/11), Anrich Nortje (2/19), and Marco Jansen (2/20) were among the wickets for the African side.
In reply, South Africa were reduced to 3/3 and then 12/4, finding themselves in trouble. David Miller took the onus on himself and weathered the storm. He batted sensibly and eventually took his side over the line in the 19th over with a gutsy knock of 59* (51).
Fans enjoyed the thrilling T20 World Cup match between South Africa and the Netherlands. They expressed their reactions by sharing hilarious memes on social media platforms like X and Instagram.
Here are some of the best reactions:
"It was a bit nerve-wrecking" - South Africa captain Aiden Markram after hard-fought win vs Netherlands in 2024 T20 World Cup
At the post-match presentation, South Africa skipper Aiden Markram reflected on the win, saying:
"It was a bit nerve-wrecking. A lot of credit to them, how they bowled and played. Even with the bat, they got something on the board, we knew they would be up for a scrap. It is a game of cricket eventually, they have shown that they can beat the big teams time and again. But then, it is a progress for us to get over the line."
Markram continued:
"It is very important for us, the wins are not always pretty but to squeeze a win out of that, not many people would have given us a chance with 4 wickets down. It is good for the team environment. If I compare it to the first game we played, the wicket played a lot better. There was a lot less sideways movement. We have been good with the ball, we need to get some confidence while batting specially at the top in the next games."
South Africa will next face Bangladesh on Monday (June 11) in New York. The Netherlands will also lock horns with Bangladesh on Thursday (June 13) in Kingstown.
