Afghanistan clinches victory over Netherlands, maintains World Cup semifinal hopes

Lucknow: Afghanistan continued its impressive World Cup journey with a convincing seven-wicket win over the Netherlands.

This victory keeps their hopes of securing a spot in the semifinals alive, taking them to eight points in the tournament.

The match saw the clash of two giants, with both Afghanistan and the Netherlands having stunned cricket fans with unexpected victories.

In this encounter, Afghanistan's bowlers and exceptional fielding limited the Dutch side to a mere 179 runs. In response, Afghanistan achieved the target in just 31.3 overs.

Despite losing both their openers early, Afghanistan's chase was relatively straightforward.

Rahmat Shah and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi's well-compiled fifties, along with a solid partnership of 74 runs for the third wicket, set the foundation for a comfortable win. Rahmat Shah continued his excellent form by hitting his third consecutive fifty, contributing 52 runs from 54 balls, while skipper Shahidi remained unbeaten with 56 runs from 64 balls.

The Dutch side struggled to build a competitive total. Sybrand Engelbrecht provided some resistance with a gritty half-century, scoring 58 runs from 86 balls. However, his efforts couldn't propel the Netherlands to a formidable score.

Max O'Dowd (42) and Colin Ackermann (29) initially provided a strong start with a partnership of 70 runs for the second wicket. But Afghanistan's brilliant fielding and some poor running between the wickets led to a dramatic middle-order collapse for the Netherlands.

The Afghan spinners, including veteran Mohammad Nabi (3/28), Noor Ahmad (2/31), and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (1/40), took advantage of the conditions, further frustrating the Dutch batsmen. Afghanistan's wicket-keeper, Ikram Alikhil, was instrumental in four dismissals during the innings.

While Afghanistan's victory improves their chances of reaching the World Cup semifinals, the Netherlands now faces a challenging road ahead in the tournament.