Netherlands, PNG seal final semifinal spots in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B

HARARE: The last two semi-final spots at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B were claimed by Netherlands and Papua New Guinea on a dramatic final day of group action.

The Dutch were in prime position heading into their match with Uganda, and duly made it three wins from three to top Group A, while PNG made it through on net run-rate despite a two-wicket defeat to Hong Kong.

The semi-final places from Group B had already been decided, with Zimbabwe and the USA each winning their first two matches. Zimbabwe prevailed in the meeting between the sides by 46 runs to top the group and set up a clash with PNG in the semi-finals, with the USA up against the Netherlands.

In the other match in Group B, Jersey got the better of Singapore to claim their first win of the campaign by 13 runs.

Netherlands march on with perfect record

With two big wins already under their belts, the Netherlands were all but guaranteed a place in the semi-finals before taking on Uganda. They underlined their position as the team to beat in Group A with a comprehensive 97-run success to top the pile.

After being put into bat, it was Max O’Dowd (73) and Tom Cooper (81 not out) who set the Dutch up for a big total, adding 121 for the third wicket on the way to a score of 187 for three.

Cooper needed just 42 balls for his knock as he motored along and it soon became clear that Uganda were not going to come close in the chase.

In fact, Fred Klaassen (5/19) enjoyed the perfect start by removing Roger Mukasa and Ronak Patel with the opening two deliveries of the innings to leave Uganda with a mountain to climb. The opening bowler continued to chip away, and had five wickets before five overs were up as Uganda slumped to 22 for five.

From there, it was simply a case of how big the margin of victory would be. Bas de Leede (2/11) picked up a couple of wickets late on, and while Uganda did bat out their 20 overs, they finished up on 90 for 9.

Ura knock keeps PNG alive in Hong Kong defeat

The other place in the semi-finals was very much up for grabs, with both Papua New Guinea and Uganda on a win apiece, while Hong Kong knew a big win against PNG would keep them right in contention.

They got the victory, getting home on the final delivery, but it was enough to overhaul PNG in second place in Group A.