T20 World Cup 2022 Points Table: Updated standings after Zimbabwe vs Netherlands Match 34
Zimbabwe faced the Netherlands in the 34th match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday. The Dutch side emerged victorious by five wickets to grab their first win of the Super 12 stage of the competition.
Batting first, Zimbabwe were bundled out on 117 as they failed to play out their full quota of 20 overs. The Dutch batters then stepped up, with Max O’Dowd scoring a fifty at the top of the order to help his team chase down the total with two overs to spare.
Although the Netherlands grabbed two points with the win, they continue to reel at the bottom of the Group 2 points table with a poor net run rate of -1.233. Above them sit Pakistan, who also have two points to their name but have a better net run rate of +0.765.
Zimbabwe had a very good chance of moving up the table. A win against the Dutch side would have helped them go to the second position but with the loss, they continue to languish in the bottom half of the points table. They are right now placed fourth with three points under their belt.
South Africa continue to top the table in Group 2 with five points to their name. They have won two out of three games, with rain playing spoilsport during their fixture against Zimbabwe.
India sit below South Africa in the points table with four points to their name. They have pipped Bangladesh on the net run rate, who also have four points in their account.
India and Bangladesh will face off in the all-important 35th match of the tournament on Wednesday.
Max O’Dowd continues rich form at T20 World Cup 2022
Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine won the toss and opted to bat first. The decision backfired as their batters failed to adapt to the conditions.
Sean Williams (28) and Sikandar Raza (40) performed well, but a lack of contributions from the other batters resulted in them getting knocked over on 117 in 19.2 overs. Paul van Meekeren starred with the ball for the Dutch side with three wickets in his four overs.
In reply, Max O’Dowd continued his rich form with the bat as he played some wonderful strokes at the top of the order. He was well-supported by Tom Cooper (32) from the other end. O’Dowd brought up his 11th T20I fifty but fell on 52.
The Dutch side held their nerves to get across the line in 18 overs. Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani picked up two wickets apiece but it wasn’t enough as they failed to defend the total.