World Cup, Afghanistan vs Netherlands: Battle of the giant-killers | Cricket News

No longer just minnows, can Afghanistan stay in the hunt for a semis spot by beating the Netherlands today?
LUCKNOW: After winning three crucial matches, Afghanistan will face the Netherlands at the Ekana Stadium here on Friday. Placed sixth on the points table, Afghanistan, who could not win even a single match in the 2019 World Cup, now stand a chance to reach the semifinals.A fourth victory for Afghanistan will take the team to eight points with both Australia and New Zealand in third and fourth place, and firmly put them in the mix for a semis spot.

Afghanistan are familiar with the Ekana stadium as they have played one Test match, three ODIs and three T20I series against the West Indies three years ago and the players know the conditions. Under coach Jonathan Trott and mentor Ajay Jadeja, the team has been playing professionally.
Under Jadeja’s supervision, the team has gained experience on how to play the 50-over World Cup matches with patience, and not go slam-bang like they do in T20 matches where everyone comes to see big hits. Be it chasing runs or setting a good target, Afghan players have understood the virtues of patience and building the innings with partnerships.

Against defending champions England, they set a challenging target of 284 in the Kotla ground in Delhi and restricted England to 215 in 40 overs. At Chepauk in Chennai, Pakistan had set a target of 285 which Afghanistan’s top-order batters chased with ease. They outplayed Sri Lanka too. If they have to set a target or chase one against the Netherlands, the Afghans seem to be quite capable. However, they cannot take the Dutch for granted as they too have registered two wins, the biggest being against South Africa.

Besides batting, Afghanistan bowlers are also doing well as a unit. Focus will be on pacers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq. Fazal had a haul of 4-34 against Pakistan while Naveen had taken two wickets giving away 38 runs. Spinners Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman have been doing well. The Ekana pitch is beneficial for both pacers and spinners, thus Afghanistan are likely to have an upper hand against the Dutch.

The Dutch have played six matches and won only two and stand in eighth position. They have almost no hope of reaching the semis but they can spoil Afghanistan’s party by beating them. The Netherland’s top order has not been able to put up a good show so far, and they will hope for a better effort here.