All-round De Leede powers Netherlands to comfortable win

Netherlands shrugged off their heartbreaking loss to Pakistan with a commanding win over Namibia in Delhi on Tuesday. An all-round display from Bas de Leede, who picked up two important wickets before starring in the chase with an unbeaten 72, saw Netherlands cruise to a seven-wicket victory.

Opting to bowl first, Netherlands contained Namibia early. The first three overs yielded only 13 runs for the loss of Louren Steenkamp. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton and Jan Frylinck provided impetus, taking Namibia to 40/1 at the end of the PowerPlay.

Netherlands strung together quiet overs after the PowerPlay, breaking a 50-run partnership with Frylinck's dismissal in the 10th over. Loftie-Eaton and captain Gerhard Erasmus shared a brisk 35-run stand, but it ended with Erasmus holing out in the 13th over.

Namibia struggled to sustain momentum. After a reprieve and a run-out scare off the same ball, Loftie-Eaton fell in the 15th over. JJ Smit struck consecutive sixes off Roelof van der Merwe in the 16th over but was bowled by Bas de Leede in the following over. Namibia slipped from 127-4 to 156-8, with the last four overs yielding 31 runs.

In reply, Max O'Dowd fell early but Michael Levitt took the attack to Namibia, striking three sixes in his 15-ball 28 before being undone in the sixth over. Netherlands reached 50/2 by the end of the PowerPlay.

A defining 70-run partnership between de Leede and Colin Ackermann followed. The duo began watchfully but ensured Netherlands never fell behind the asking rate. They unfurled a range of strokes starting in the 11th over, leaving Namibia to rue dropping Ackermann in the previous over.

They were separated by Ackermann's dismissal in the 14th over, but de Leede carried on unfazed, bringing up a 38-ball fifty two overs later. De Leede and Scott Edwards ensured no further hiccups as a 21-run 18th over saw Netherlands seal an emphatic win with seven wickets and two overs to spare.

Brief Scores: Namibia 156-8 in 20 overs (Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 42, JJ Smit 22; Logan van Beek 2-13, Bas de Leede 2-20) lost to Netherlands 159/3 (Bas de Leede 72*, Colin Ackermann 32; Bernard Scholtz 1-27) by 7 wickets.