Namibia vs Netherlands Prediction: Who will win today's T20 World Cup 2021 match?
It's the Netherlands versus Namibia in the T20 World Cup 2021 today at 3:30 PM IST in Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Stadium. It's only been three days since the marquee tournament started and we are already at a stage where the losing team of this match will be effectively knocked out of the World Cup.
Only two teams can progress to the Super 12 stage from Group A, which also includes Ireland and Sri Lanka. While they have both won one match each in the tournament, the Netherlands and Namibia are yet to open their accounts, making this fixture crucial for both.
The Netherlands locked horns with Ireland in the first match of Group A. The Irish bowlers were impressively disciplined and kept their opponents down to just 106 in the first innings. The Dutch created some chances by sending two of Ireland's batters back early, but Paul Stirling and Gareth Delany saw their team past the target with seven wickets and 4.5 overs to spare.
The second match was quite similar too. After being put in to bat first, Namibian batters couldn't adjust to the Sri Lankan spin prowess and were shot down for just 96. Dasun Shanaka and co. looked in some trouble when the scoreline read 26-3 after 5.1 overs, but Avishka Fernando and Bhanuka Rajapaksa's middle-order experience came in handy as they strung an unbeaten 74-run partnership. Sri Lanka won by seven wickets as well.
T20 World Cup 2021: Battle of bowling attacks as Namibia takes on the Netherlands
Ryan Campbell on the match against Ireland 🗣 | Coach @cambo_19 comments on yesterday's match against Ireland. Tomorrow we go again, this time against Namibia at 12:00 CET!
#T20WorldCup #CricketNL https://t.co/zV6ImbiVAP
The Netherlands came to the T20 World Cup as a well-balanced and experienced team, but their under-preparation in the lead up to the tournament has cost them heavily. Except opener Max O'Dowd, no other batter played responsibly and poor decisions came in spades.
O'Dowd's partner, Ben Copper, was run-out via a horrendous mix-up. Bas de Leede gifted his wicket by attempting to scoop against an innocuous full toss. A mini partnership was starting to build between O'Dowd and Colin Ackerman, but Ireland's Curtis Campher picked up four wickets in as many deliveries to nix any chance of a comeback.
The final wicket of that match-winning spell almost summarized the Netherlands' trouble. Playing against a man who had just taken a hat-trick, one of the most experienced Dutch all-rounders, Roelof van der Merwe, went for a wayward swipe on to a full and wide delivery only to see an inside edge to knock his stumps.
Namibian pacers are as good as, if not better than the Irish ones, and the Netherlands batters will have to be right on their money to stave off another collapse. That effort would certainly have to come from the most senior players, including Ryan ten Doeschate and Van der Merwe.
The Netherlands' bowling is still good and just didn't have enough to defend in the last game. Left-arm seamer Fred Klaassen was energetic and right-arm pacer Brandon Glover was mostly disciplined. Skipper and left-arm spinner Pieter Seelaar chipped in with a late wicket too. They'll have to once again carry the flag for their team and hope that the batters turn up in support.
Eagles' first game at the #T20WorldCup against Test nation Sri Lanka was a great benchmark for the Namibian team. Good luck to the Eagles for their next game on Wednesday against the Dutch at 12h00🇳🇦🇳🇦🇳🇦🇳🇦
RESULTS: Sri Lanka beat NAM by 7 wickets. #EaglesPride https://t.co/tSiWMU5A7N
While the Netherlands still had O'Dowd half-century to save their face, the top-scorer in the Nambian lineup could only muster 29. However, the equation for the southern African nation hasn't changed much as they are still underdogs in the competition. They have nothing to lose and everything to win.
They'll also be happy to get the former world champions out of the way as the Netherlands and Ireland will be relatively easier opponents. Namibian batters are all hard-hitters and will come to the party if the pitch doesn't offer much turn to Seelaar and Van der Merwe. The Eagles, as the Namibian cricket team are called, will also hope for more contributions from former South African all-rounder David Wiese.
Namibia's bowling lacks variety but has more depth than the Dutch's lineup. Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit and Bernard Scholtz, who were the only wicket-takers against Sri Lanka, will be key once again. And so will be leg-spinner Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, who might be able to trouble the opposition batters with his quick leg-spinners.
It's a battle of two spin-averse batting lineups and two brilliant bowling attacks, with little to separate them. In such a game, the Netherlands' superior experience might be just enough to edge out Namibia.
Prediction: The Netherlands to win the 7th match of the T20 World Cup