We are past the halfway mark in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and the picture is beginning to get clearer. While hosts India, South Africa and New Zealand have emerged as prime contenders for the top three semi-final spots, the seven other teams are jostling for the fourth berth, which could lead to some intriguing action in the coming few days. On Saturday afternoon, Netherlands and Bangladesh will face off at the Eden Gardens in the hope of propelling themselves to the middle melee in the points table. (Scorecard | Match Blog | Streaming | Preview)
Both Bangladesh and Netherlands have just one win from their respective five games so far and are unlikely to make it through to the knock-out stage. But the two teams are not entirely out of reckoning yet, and if either of them wins all its remaining games and a few results pan out favourably, could well clinch that fourth semi-final spot.
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This means that Saturday's game will be an absolute do-or-die one for the Bangla Tigers as well as the Scott Edwards-led Dutch outfit. Whichever side loses it can say goodbye to its qualification dreams for this edition of the 50-over World Cup.
Let's look at three key battles that could define the outcome of the NED vs BAN game in Kolkata:
Scott Edwards Vs Shakib Al Hasan
The captains' duel could be a fascinating one to watch. Shakib Al Hasan rejoined the Bangladesh team on Thursday after training with his personal mentor in Dhaka and would be raring to overturn his indifferent form in the last few games. His left-arm spin would be pivotal against the Dutch batters, who are more used to pace. But Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards could well turn out to be Shakib's kryptonite. Edwards is an attacking batter and is particularly strong while sweeping and reverse-sweeping the spinners. Given both players' key roles, this battle could be instrumental in the larger scheme of things.
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Bas De Leede Vs Mohammad Mahmudullah
Netherlands all-rounder Bas de Leede is doing the job admirably so far with both bat and ball for his country. Apart frm his big-hitting ability, the 23-year-old Dutch player bowls disciplined medium-pace and has picked up 19 wickets from his last nine games. He will have his task cut out against Mohammad Mahmudullah, Bangladesh's batting all-rounder who smashed a century in their last game against South Africa. Mahmudullah has been in top nick and could be a thorn in the Dutch flesh, unless de Leede has other plans.
Logan Van Beek Vs Litton Das
Bangladesh opener Litton Das has the propensity to cause headaches for opposition new-ball bowlers with his unfettered strokeplay and flair. The right-hander has notched up 177 runs in the ODI World Cup so far and would be looking to make a bigger mark on Saturday. But he will have the deceptively sharp medium pace of Logan van Beek to contend with. The 33-year-old Dutch player was instrumental in getting his team to the World Cup with his all-round displays, and has carried on from there, bagging a four-wicket haul against Australia in Delhi to show how lethal he can be.
