"RIP Caribbean Cricket" - Twitter brutally trolls West Indies after shocking defeat to Netherlands in the World Cup 2023 Qualifiers

West Indies suffered one of their most devastating defeats against Netherlands
West Indies suffered one of their most devastating defeats against Netherlands

West Indies suffered another humiliating defeat in a super over against the Netherlands in their final Group stage of the World Cup Qualifiers at Harare on Monday, June 26.

After being asked to bat first, Shai Hope and his men put on a destructive display with the bat, posting a seemingly match-winning 374-6 in their 50 overs. Nicholas Pooran bludgeoned 104* off 65 deliveries, with valuable contributions from Brandon King, Johnson Charles, and Shai Hope.

However, it was another display of shoddy bowling and fielding following their lackluster effort in defeat to hosts Zimbabwe a couple of days back. It opened the gates for the Dutch to steal an improbable victory.

The Netherlands openers got off to a terrific start, adding 76 in 64 deliveries to set the platform for the run-chase. Despite valuable contributions from the top four, however, they lost wickets regularly to find themselves at 170-4 in 29 overs.

With their chances seemingly slipping away, all-rounder Teja Nidamanuru scored a magnificent 111 off 76 balls. He added a match-turning partnership of 143 from 90 deliveries to bring the match back to life.

West Indies then struck back to reduce the score to 327-7 in 46 overs. But another sensational partnership of 44 between Logan Van Beek and Aryan Dutt brought the equation to just four runs needed in as many balls.

Despite a wicket of the following delivery, Van Beek ensured to level the scores with a ball remaining. However, he was dismissed off the last ball of the innings to have the match end in a tie and set up a super over.

In the Super Over, an inspired Van Beek took full advantage of a wayward Jason Holder to smash 30 runs with three fours and sixes each. With the match almost out of hand, West Indies made another questionable decision to open with Johnson Charles and Shai Hope. First-innings centurion Nicholas Pooran started in the shed.

Van Beek bowled the super over and conceded just eight runs for two wickets. With this, the West Indian nightmare was complete and they are now on the brink of elimination from World Cup qualification.

Despite qualifying for the Super Sixes, the men from the Caribbean will carry no points forward, having lost to both Zimbabwe and Netherlands. This leaves them in a precarious position of likely elimination from the main event later this year.

Having also failed to qualify for the main event in the T20 World Cup last year, fans were left in disbelief at the repeat of a similar fate at the 50-over event. Many took to Twitter to express their anguish and disappointment at how the once mighty West Indies have fallen to unimaginable lows.

Here are some of the best reactions:


"I cannot see us scoring 375 and losing the game" - West Indies captain Shai Hope

West Indies skipper Shai Hope was visibly shell-shocked after the side suffered a super over defeat to the Netherlands. They are now on the verge of being shot out of the Showpiece event later this year.

Despite going through to the Super Sixes, Shai Hope's men will have to win all three of their games by a considerable margin. They will also have to hope for several results to go their way to finish top two and qualify for the World Cup.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, the 29-year-old said:

"You really can't. We let ourselves down there. I cannot see us scoring 375 and losing the game. Credit to Netherlands for chasing that down. Cricket is not played in one half. We knew we had to bowl well but I always thought 375 would be enough."

He added:

"We definitely need to learn from this. (On going into the Super Six with zero points) We know what we have to do now. It is an unfortunate situation we have put ourselves in but it is what it is."

West Indies carry no points to the super sixes. They will take on Sri Lanka, Scotland, and Oman to try and finish in the top two and qualify for the World Cup in India.

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Edited by Aditya Singh