"They can beat Australia but the Netherlands are beyond South Africa's grasp" - Aakash Chopra on the Proteas World Cup 2023 loss to the Dutch
Aakash Chopra has highlighted that South Africa might have annihilated a formidable side like Australia but were found wanting once again against the Netherlands in their World Cup 2023 clash in Dharamsala on Tuesday, October 17.
The Dutch set the Proteas a 246-run target in 43 overs after being asked to bat first in a rain-truncated game. They then bowled out Temba Bavuma and company for 207 to register a 38-run victory and do an encore of their upset win against the same opponents at last year's T20 World Cup.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that the Netherlands again proved to be South Africa's nemesis. He said (0:01):
"They can beat Australia but the Netherlands are beyond South Africa's grasp. Another upset has happened. Matches are happening one-sided but when beautiful upsets happen, the heart finds solace. The Netherlands have won and South Africa have lost."
Reflecting on the Netherlands' batting, the former India opener highlighted that they were in a spot of bother at one stage. He observed (2:45):
"They got the chance to bat first here. They got stuck at the start, whether it was Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi or Gerald Coetzee, the wickets were falling, and they were in difficulty."
Chopra praised Scott Edwards for taking his side to a fighting total by adding vital runs with Roelof van der Merwe and Aryan Dutt. He elaborated:
"However, Scott Edwards was there and along with him was first Roelof van der Merwe and then Aryan Dutt. They strung together partnerships. The tailenders made contributions of 25-odd runs and Scott Edwards scored 78, and the team reached a decent score."
Edwards smashed an unbeaten 78 off 69 deliveries with the help of 10 fours and a six. Van der Merwe (29 off 19) and Dutt (23* off 9) played blazing knocks as the Netherlands reached 245/8 after being 140/7 in the 34th over.
"They lost wickets one after the other and kept on losing them" - Aakash Chopra on South Africa's chase
![Quinton de Kock's dismissal triggered a South African batting collapse. [P/C: AP]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/10/510cb-16975988916223-1920.jpg?w=500)
Turning his attention to South Africa's chase, Aakash Chopra pointed out that they lost a flurry of wickets after Quinton de Kock was dismissed. He stated (3:40):
"Then South Africa came to bat and they lost wickets one after the other and kept on losing them, whether it was Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram or Heinrich Klaasen."
Chopra concluded by pointing out that David Miller and Keshav Maharaj's fighting efforts also couldn't help their side avoid defeat. He elaborated:
"Two wickets for Roelof van der Merwe and then Logan van Beek, Paul van Meekeren and Bas de Leede - everyone together troubled them a lot. At one stage it seemed like David Miller would take this team to a win but it couldn't happen. Keshav Maharaj kept on hitting in the end but he also couldn't save them."
Miller (43 off 52) and Maharaj (40 off 37) were the only Proteas batters to cross the 30-run mark. While Logan van Beek (3/60) was the Netherlands' most successful bowler, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, and Bas de Leede snared two wickets apiece.