Netherlands pull off remarkable T20 World Cup upset victory over South Africa

11-06-2022
3 min read
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In one of the biggest upsets in T20 World Cup history, The Netherlands have defeated South Africa by 13 runs in their final group stage game.

After qualifying through to the Super 12s, the Dutch side would lose to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in their first three matches, before securing their first win against Zimbabwe on Wednesday.

But nobody could have predicted Sunday's result, with the Proteas needing a win to qualify for the semi-finals and Netherlands out of the equation.

Ranked 17th in the world and coming up against one of the tournament favourites, Holland produced a spectacular performance to end the World Cup dreams of their opponents.  

Batting first at Adelaide Oval, Colin Ackermann (41*) led his side to a defendable total of 4/158 from their 20 overs, before restricting South Africa to 8/145 with the ball.

Brandon Glover (3/9 off 2) and Fred Klaassen (2/20 off 4) both starred, with the in-form Rilee Roussow the only Proteas batsman to score above 20 runs.

The loss will see South Africa miss out on the semis, with the clash between Bangladesh and Pakistan set to decide who will join India in the next stage of the tournament from Group 2.

Earlier, Australia missed out on the semi-finals after England proved too strong for Sri Lanka, and they will now join New Zealand in the sudden-death stage.