Ben Stokes’ first World Cup century helped England beat the Netherlands by 160 runs in Pune on Wednesday, bringing the ailing champs from the bottom of the points standings. The win snapped England’s five consecutive losses, knocking them out of competition for the semi-finals.
The Netherlands were never in it, falling to 179 all out in 38 overs, with David Willey and Woakes hitting with the new ball while spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid took three wickets apiece.
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The Rundown: England vs Netherlands
Ben Stokes hit his maiden World Cup century to assist England in overcoming the Netherlands by 160 runs in Pune.
England appeared to be in danger when Joe Root (28) was nutmegged while attempting a backhand scoop shot, and skipper Jos Buttler (five) and Moeen Ali (four) also went cheaply, leaving them at 192-6.
However, as he frequently does, Stokes guided his team to their second win of the competition, putting them in competition for the Champions Trophy.
Dawid Malan (87 off 74) and Chris Woakes (51 off 45) played brilliantly at opposing ends of the batting line-up to help England reach 339-9. In response, the Dutch failed to form a significant partnership, with neither of their batters reaching fifty and fell from 163-6 to 179 all out at the outset of the 38th over.
Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, England’s spinners, both took three wickets and kept the Dutch at a distance by grabbing wickets at regular intervals.
Stokes Enters and Unleashes His Power-Hitting
Dawid Malan hit his third half-century of the competition off 36 balls, and he produced an 85-run partnership with Root (28) to help England post 133-1 at the 20th over.
Root tried his signature reverse lift off a back-of-a-length throw from Logan van Beek (2-88) but was nutmegged for the second time within the tournament.
Malan’s stint contained 10 boundaries and two sixes, but when the 36-year-old tried to slip over for a fast single, he was forced to circle back and dive, but Van Beek had already snapped off the bails with his bat a few inches short from the crease line.
Harry Brook (11 off 16), who came in for Liam Livingstone, nicked a short delivery from Bas de Leede (3-74) through the deep and was dismissed by Ackermann as the Dutch took three wickets for 31 runs, giving them 164-4.
Stokes appeared to have taken lessons from Glenn Maxwell’s magnificent performance on Tuesday. He entered at the wicket with England behind 132-2 and strolled to his sixth World Cup fifties off 58 balls, finishing with a six-over deep midwicket. Stokes played mostly in the limited overs after that, pounding six fours and six sixes.
England’s Early Onslaught Leaves the Netherlands Reeling
England took a commanding start over the Netherlands, with Max O’Dowd (five) taken at mid-on by Moeen Ali (3-42) and Colin Ackermann (0) out with a golden duck, leaving the Dutch down 13-2 after the sixth over.
Wesley Barresi (37 off 62) and Sybrand Engelbrecht (33 off 49) combined 54 runs to take the Netherlands to 68-3 after Root dismissed Engelbrecht at mid-wicket before the 16, who then hammered the following drive into the stands for six.
Moeen and Woakes (1-19) partnered to chase out Barresi, whereas Engelbrecht failed a straight shot to mid-on and got caught by the other player. Moeen and Rashid (3-54) bowled their way towards the Netherlands’ middle and lower order, losing the last five wickets for just 16 runs.
Logan van Beek (two) puffed Rashid’s thick and open delivery onto a fine leg, where Malan caught it. Roelof van der Merwe sought to clear Moeen but was caught for a golden duck—the Dutch’s second of the innings.
Rashid used his trusty curveball to dismiss Aryan Dutt (one), while Buttler trapped Van Meekeren (four) when he went well out of his crease.
Teja Nidamanuru (41) was unable to score a half-century on Van Meekeren’s last wicket. After hitting two boundaries and three sixes previously in his performance, he appeared to be the Netherlands’ sole candidate for victory. With this defeat, the Netherlands are out of the competition.
Player of the Game: Ben Stokes
Stokes expressed his happiness after they obtained their second win over the Dutch. He struck 108 off 84 balls, his seventh ODI century but first in this World Cup Tournament, to save England’s batting squad and drag the score to 339-9.
Ben Stoke, the man of the match, has said that it was a great feeling to win against the Netherlands. He admits it’s been an unfortunate World Cup for England, but he is glad to be able to win again.
Additionally, he congratulated the pitch, noting that it had been good for batting, and from the back of the length, it could have caused some tennis ball bounce. He explains that he wanted to go deeper than it could handle and eventually sell it short.
England v Netherlands Score
| England | Netherlands |
| 339/9(50 overs) | 179(37.2 overs) |
| England claimed their second win after defeating the Netherlands by 160 runs | |
With the win, England moved up to seventh place in the ranking, with the Netherlands taking the position at the bottom. The top seven teams, as well as the host country, are in contention for the Champions Trophy in 2025.
More exciting cricket matches will take place when England plays against Pakistan in Kolkata on Saturday and the Netherlands face India in Bengaluru on Sunday.
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