NAM vs NED Prediction: Who will win today's T20 World Cup 2022 match?
A clash between the two undefeated teams in Group A of the first round of the 2022 T20 World Cup, Namibia versus the Netherlands, kicks off Day 3 of matches in the competition.
Namibia have already established themselves as one of the teams to watch out for in the T20 World Cup. A side that has grown by leaps and bounds in the last two years under Gerhard Erasmus' captaincy, they are all set to compete with the best in the business on a regular basis.
It was never more evident than in their opening-day clash against current Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka, who were bundled out for just 108 while chasing 164. Jan Frylinck led the way with a stellar all-round show as almost all of Namibia's playing XI came up with notable contributions.
The Netherlands, on the other hand, didn't win as convincingly. They needed to work for their two points against the United Arab Emirates, who managed to scalp seven wickets while defending 112 and dragged the game to the penultimate ball. Eventually, the Dutch held their nerve and Bas de Leede walked away with the Player of the Match award for his three-wicket haul.
Namibia and the Netherlands have faced each other twice in T20I cricket before. The first meeting, back in 2019, favored the Dutch, who won the game by 44 runs. The second clash, in last year's T20 World Cup, serves as a more accurate representation of where the two teams stand right now.
Namibia won the clash by six wickets, chasing down the Netherlands' score of 164 with an over to spare as David Wiese smacked an unbeaten 66. The Eagles will want more of the same, with the winner of the clash likely to give themselves a foot in the Super 12 door.
Namibia vs Netherlands Match Prediction T20 World Cup 2022
Namibia's top order is probably their only concern right now. The trio of Michael van Lingen, Divan la Cock, and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton were dismissed within the first five overs against Sri Lanka, with the team having to rely on a middle-order revival from Stephan Baard, Erasmus and Frylinck before JJ Smit struck a few big blows at the death.
The bowling department, on the other hand, turned in a complete performance. As many as four bowlers picked up two wickets, with no one going at more than eight runs per over. Ben Shikongo's double-wicket maiden in the fourth over of Sri Lanka's innings was a particular standout.
The Netherlands, on the other hand, are yet to arrive at their best possible playing XI. Although the bowlers, with the exception of Logan van Beek, turned in promising displays, none of the top six batters could convert their starts.
While the Netherlands are perfectly capable of pushing Namibia to their limit, Erasmus and Co. start as the definite favorites. They have more raw talent on paper; they've been in better recent form; they seem more cohesive as a unit.
While Scott Edwards will implore his men to dig deep and come up with something special, Namibia should be able to keep their unbeaten record in the 2022 T20 World Cup intact.
Prediction: Namibia to win Match 5 of the 2022 T20 World Cup