DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – A highly professional Netherlands romped to an emphatic 92-run victory over winless Bermuda who bowed out of the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium yesterday after suffering a sixth successive Group A defeat.
As one of two teams without a win, alongside Nigeria in Group B, Bermuda finished the tournament bottom of Group A, having come close to winning only one of their games, going down in the final over against Singapore.
On the back of a record Dutch opening stand, the Netherlands moved level on points with Papua New Guinea and Namibia at the top of the group in pursuit of the automatic first-place qualification spot for next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
Ireland currently top Group B with eight points.
Bermuda made three changes from Thursday’s line-up against Scotland, with Deunte Darrell returning after a one-match suspension for reckless behaviour, and Janeiro Tucker and Derrick Brangman both recalled as Terryn Fray, Onias Bascome and Sinclair Smith made way.
Bermuda started poorly after losing the toss, bowling too short and too wide early on as Dutch openers Max O’Dowd and Ben Cooper, who both made 58, got their side off to a flyer.
Both were imperious, putting on 123 for the first wicket and it took a superb George O’Brien catch to remove O’Dowd off slow left-arm bowler Delray Rawlins in the 13th over to get the crucial breakthrough.
When Cooper fell in the next over, bowled by captain Rodney Trott, Bermuda were finally able to try to exert some control.
But Ryan ten Doeschate (28) and Colin Ackerman (43 not out) picked up where their team-mates left off, putting on 52 from 31 balls for the third wicket as the Netherlands finished on 206 for three, as Bermuda conceded the highest score of the tournament for a second match running. It was a total that proved too great a task to chase down for Bermuda against a side with a fully professional set-up and who have featured in four 50-over World Cups and three T20 World Cups.
Bermuda were never realistically in the hunt of chasing down the target after ending the powerplay at 36 for three.
The biggest blow was struck on the final ball of that phase when an aggressive Rawlins went too far across his stumps trying to scoop Paul van Meekeren for a second boundary of the over through fine leg but was undone by a slower ball and bowled for 16, having hit a six and four in his nine balls at the crease.
Kamau Leverock followed up his unbeaten 43 against Scotland by making 31 from 15 balls, with three sixes and two fours, after number three Allan Douglas chipped in with 23 from 24 balls, Bermuda closing on 114 for nine.
Van Meekeren, who touched 90 mph on the speed gun, took three for 26.
