In their second match of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, England finally prevailed. Despite going through a bad spell, the reigning champions defeated the Netherlands by 160 runs, displaying their real character in the process. Jos Buttler led the team. Dawid Malan gave them a great start when he batted first, but wickets kept tumbling from one end.
He was dismissed at 87 as well, but England’s crisis man Ben Stokes rose to the occasion once more, scoring 108 runs to turn the tide of the match. In the first innings, England amassed 339 runs thanks to a half-century from Chris Woakes.
The Netherlands were behind from the beginning when it came to the pursuit. Each of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid’s three wickets decimated their batting unit.
In the ongoing ODI World Cup, England finally broke their losing skid when they were swept out for 179 runs against the Netherlands.
Dawid Malan’s frontal assault
Dawid Malan made an immediate impression on everyone. Malan didn’t alter his offensive strategy even if England lost a few wickets, giving the Three Lions a flawless start in a crucial encounter. His 87 proved to be crucial as England went on to score a respectable amount.
Stokesy-Woakesy duo
After losing six wickets, England found themselves under some kind of strain. Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes, a seasoned combination, exerted pressure on the Netherlands team and amassed 129 runs together, which they were unable to overcome.
Double Trouble
Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali both claimed three wickets. Towards the end, the Dutch batters were apathetic, and the spinners exploited that. Thanks to them, England won the game by an overwhelming 160 runs.
Losing skipper Scott Edwards said:
We didn’t start well with the ball, let them get away from us. Bowlers did well to drag them back, but they got away again towards the end for a slightly above par total. Then same old story with the bat. Was a pretty good wicket. We held them well till the 43rd over. Maybe we could’ve tried a couple of different plans.
But credit to them, they batted well. Need to find a balance chasing a 340 score. We’ll talk about it and figure it out what we could’ve done better. Like you said we’ve been good in patches. Just got to do it for longer. Going to be an amazing atmosphere there (in Bangalore), boys are looking forward to it.
Winning skipper Jos Buttler said:
Absolutely desperate for the win. Malan got us off to a flier. Partnership between Stokes and Woakes was fantastic. Anytime you need someone to stand up, he (Stokes) seems to be the guy to do that. Smart cricket between him and Woakes. Thought it was a good score. But everyone who batted said it was a good pitch. The toss – you got to play good cricket as well.
Can look back and say might’ve done different but you have to play good cricket too. He’s a class cricketer (Woakes), been a brilliant performer for us. It was high-class swing bowling, deserved more than one wicket that he got. Huge game (Pakistan). At the end of a disappointing tournament it means a lot.
POTM Ben Stokes said:
More pleased with the victory (than scoring a century), it has been a tough World Cup for us. It was a nice wicket to bat on, had some tennis-ball bounce. We (Woakes and himself) built a good partnership, whenever there was pressure building I had a look at the scoreboard and reminded myself there was a lot of time remaining (in the innings). Tried to take it deep and cash in later. He (Woakes) is a genuine all-rounder for us, he has been a great cricketer for England over the last 2-3 years and today he proved it.
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