September 11, 2023
Scotland ( 122 for 7 ) beat The Netherlands ( 63 all out ) by 59 runs.
The two favourites for qualification from the Europe Region qualifier met in the penultimate round, with the Dutch already secure of the place in the Global qualifier and Scotland virtually there, barring a heavy defeat today and then again against Italy. The match was again live streamed on ICC.TV
The Dutch victory over Italy in Round 3 was covered by these diaries.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2023/09/netherlands-women-vs-italy-women-icc.html
When the two sides met earlier in the competition, Sterre Kalis had scored 68 to lead the Dutch to a 35 run victory and to set-up qualification. However, Kalis had returned to England to fulfil her commitments to Northern Diamonds in the Rachel Heyhoe-Flint Trophy, and although The Netherlands had beaten France twice without her, that was mostly due to bowling the opposition out for low totals. Their inexperienced middle and lower order batting had spent very little time at the crease so far.
The Scotland line-up included the Bryce sisters, Kathryn and Sarah, both of whom play in the English domestic competitions. Captain Kathryn opened the bowling for the Manchester Originals in The Hundred and the Blaze in the Rachel Heyhoe-Flint Trophy, whilst wicket-keeper batter Sarah also playes for the Blaze but turned out for The Welsh Fire in the Hundred. Both have been in the runs in the Qualifier tournament, with Sarah scoring in 67 in 40 balls against Italy and 116 runs in her three innings, whilst Kathryn made 51 against France and had 5 wickets in the competition so far.
Scotland also included 18 year-old Darcey Carter, who had looked stylish up the order without turning good starts into heavy scores, and also looked to be a promising off-spinner. Lorna Jack had scored an unbeaten 57 against Italy whilst Ailsa Lister also made an unbeaten half-century against the Italians.
The Netherlands won the toss and elected to field. Iris Zwilling started with a maiden to Kathryn Bryce and the first run of the innings finally came from the 10th ball, but nearly resulted in a wicket. Darcy Carter played to deep mid-wicket, turned for second run but was sent back. However, the throw from Eva Lynch was wide otherwise Carter would have been comfortably run-out. At the end of the over it was 1 for 0 from 2.
Zwilling continued to keep it tight. The tall Carter rode the bounce to push a single to leg and Bryce final got off the mark from 10th ball she had faced with cross batted swipe to mid-wicket.
Carter twice flicked Zwilling off her legs for two, with a bonus overthrow after a sloppy throw from the boundary on the second occasion.
Carter then played a glorious straight drive down the ground of Rijke for six and then drove through cover for two more. Rijke took revenge though with the next ball, which was full of length and chipped back to Rijke for a caught and bowled. Carter went for 15 off 11 balls, with the score 16 for 1 in the 4th over.
Priyanaz Chatterji got off the mark with a steer to third man, then Bryce clipped a half volley off her legs to deep mid-wicket for a single to take the score to 19 for 1 off 4 overs.
Bryce played an ugly cross batted swipe to the first ball of Zwilling’s next over sending the ball straight up in the air and Dekeling claimed the catch. Captain Bryce was out for a painstaking 2 from 12 balls.
Sister Sarah replaced Kathryn and from her third ball leant into a cut backward of square for 4 as a shortish ball rose quite nicely for the shot. Zwilling responded by bring one back to strike the pad, but the LBW appeal was declined as it was probably just going over the top of the stumps. At the end of the 5th over it was 23 for 2.
Bryce seemed to take a liking to the good length deliveries from Rijke, sending one delivery down the ground one bounce to the boundary and then cleared her front foot to send another drive all along the ground for another boundary to take the score to 32 for 2 of 6.
The Netherlands introduced the leg spin of Caroline de Lange, who was cautiously taken for 4 singles before tall, medium pacer Isabel van der Woning replaced Rijke for just her second over in the tournament. After three dots, Bryce lifted her over mid-on for another boundary, then from the last ball of the over Chatterji called for a sharp single, but de Leede missed with her throw with Bryce short of the crease. At the end of the over Scotland had progressed to 43 for 2, with Bryce on 19 from 17 balls.
At the start of the 9th over, de Lange found the edge of Chatterji’s bat and the ball ran away for 2, but she couldn’t find her length in the rest of the over, which went for 10 runs.
A wide ball from Van der Woning was slashed over covers but great fielding from Landheer prevented the boundary and saved two runs. The bowler was testing the middle of the wicket and twice got cut to the point boundary for singles. At the end of the over it was 60 for 2 from 10 and the drinks break was called.
Off-spinner Eva Lynch was introduced following the resumption and was immediately greeted with a reverse ramp by Chatterji which only yielded a single. Bryce clubbed a full toss to cow corner, which was totally mis-judged by Rijke, allowing the ball to go over her head but bounce inside the boundary rope so the chance went begging.
With her bustling, slingy action, Landheer replaced the out of sorts de Lange and found an edge when banging one in, but with no slip the ball ran away to third man for a single. Shortly after Chatterji played all across a straight one to hear the death rattle of the timber. She had made 15 runs from 18 balls.
Lorna Jack came in next and with three dots to finish the over it was 69 for 3 of 12 overs, with Bryce still there on 33 from 28 balls.
5 runs came from first three balls of Lynch’s next over but when Jack pushed in to the leg side, Bryce called for a suicidal single. Keeper de Leede gathered and her throw was good for Lynch to take off the bails with Jack well short of her ground, and out for a duck. It was now 74 for 4 off 13 overs.
Bryce took out her frustrations by hitting Landheer down the ground for consecutive boundaries to take the score to 85 for 4 off 14 overs.
De Lange mis-fielded a ball through her legs for another boundary, this time off Lynch but the off-spinner got revenge on Lister by holding one back slightly and the deceived batter could only chip to Zwilling at mid-off for a regulation catch.
Rijke returned to bowl her last permitted over, and with 5 taken from it the score had progressed to 99 for 5 off 16 overs.
With 49 runs to her name Bryce then danced down the wicket to Lynch but could only smack the ball straight back at the bowler, who took a very sharp catch off her own bowling. An important breakthrough for the Dutch and Bryce had to go one short of her half century from 43 balls.
Landheer bowled the 18th over, which yielded just 5 singles and de Lange returned for the 19th over with Watson skying the 4th ball to which de Leede made the diving catch ahead of the bowler, with the score now 110 for 7.
McColl pulled a short ball from de Lange and although Dekeling made a good diving attempt, she couldn’t hold onto catch.
Zwilling came back to finish the innings but the long handle from Abel, good running and slack fielding resulted in 10 runs being added to the total. The last ball was a bye to keeper and although de Leede could easily have just run to the stumps to affect the run out, she lazily threw and missed by some distance to leave the final score at 122 for 7.
At the interval Scotland would have felt they were now thefavourites, as without Kalis it looked a tough score for the Dutch to chase, and a lot depended on the top three in the order.
With Kathryn Bryce opening the bowling and attempting to mostly bowl in swing, Siegers slogged to cow-corner for six and then produced a more stylish flick off the legs for four more. A lightning start for the Dutch with 12 from the first over.
Chatterji opened at the other end and her first ball saw Siegers back-foot drive for 4 behind point. Chatterji looked to be bowling gentle away swing but then brought one back to beat Zwilling’s defensive prod, who responded by slapping a short ball over extra for two. It was now 19 off 2.
Siegers continued to attack Bryce, chipping to mid-wicket for 2 then a miscuing over extra-cover for one more. Zwilling joined in the fun by flicking a leg stump half volley to the boundary to take the Dutch to 28 for 0 off 3. At this point, the girls in orange looked to be racing to a quick victory.
Chatterji pitched one up for Siegers to smack through mid-wicket for 4 more but then had to dig out a yorker. With a dot ball, Siegers lost patience and played an ugly swipe, sending the ball straight up in the air, and keeper Bryce didn’t have to move to take the catch. Siegers was out for 23 with the score 32 for 1 halfway through the third over.
De Leede came to the wicket but after a single, Zwilling was bowled by another yorker to reduce the Netherlands to 33 for 2 off 4, with the match now quickly swinging back in favour of Scotland.
Abtaha Masqood was introduced to bowl some leg-spin wearing a hijab. Just one run was taken from the first 5 deliveries before Rijke attempted a risky single to Carter at mid-on, but a direct hit meant another wicket and the score 34 for 3.
The brittle, inexperienced Dutch middle order was now exposed and Molkenboer played out a maiden to Chatterji. De Leede decided to go down the wicket to Masqood, missed and was smartly stumped was Bryce. Lynch was next in and stepped away to hit Masqood through the covers for four to spoil a wicket maiden over, but the Dutch were now rocking at 38 for 4.
Carter now came on to bowl some off-spin with a tall, high action. To the first ball, Molkenboer took a step to swipe, missed and Bryce made another smart stumping . With just a single from the over it was now 39 for 5 from 8 overs.
Scotland continued to turn the screw with only two from Masqood’s next over but Lynch then chipped a catch back to Carter as the Dutch innings continued to subside at 41 for 6. It got worse when Van Koolwijk mis-hit an attempted leg-side slog to Rainey at mid-off for another tame dismissal.
Dekeling decided it was time to play a game of tip and run, but Kathryn Bryce picked up and sent a good throw to sister Sarah for Landheer to be run out without facing a ball. At 44 for 8 the Dutch had now lost 8 wickets for just 12 runs.
Abel replaced Masqood after a spell of 1 for 8 off 4 overs, but dropped short allowing de Lange to club past square leg for a rare boundary. An edge by Dekeling for 4 put a dent in Carter’s figures, who finished with 3 for 11 off 4.
However, that was to be the end of the Dutch resistance as de Lange wafted at Abel to give Bryce an easy catch and when van der Woning attempted a big-slog off McColl she lost her balance and Bryce whipped off the bails for her third stumping to add to two catches and a run-out.
The Netherlands were all out for 63 to give Scotland the win by 59 runs. The Dutch total was the lowest of the tournament so far, even lower than anything Italy or France had managed. The Dutch collapse saw them lose 10 wickets for just 31 runs.
Victory for Scotland was revenge for the earlier loss to the Dutch, and by now having a far superior net run rate they should win the tournament, assuming there is no shock in their final game against winless France. Winning the tournament doesn’t generate any additional benefits in terms of seeding for the Global Qualifier, just the reward of winning a competition.
For the Netherlands, it was a stark reminder, if any was needed, that their strength lies in their bowling and there is a lack of depth to their batting. Of course, had Kalis played it may have been very different, but it is dangerous to be reliant on just one or two batter to made the runs. Their fielding, which had looked sharp in their other matches, also fell short of the mark today, and is another area they need to focus on.
Link To Scorecard : https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/icc-women-s-t20-world-cup-europe-region-qualifier-2023-1395020/netherlands-women-vs-scotland-women-10th-match-1395035/full-scorecard
Highlights : https://app.icc.tv/video/519319/scotland-w-vs-netherlands-w-highlights
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