Netherlands coach’s tactical notes prove game-changing against South Africa, fans label it ‘Death Note’

The Netherlands Cricket team etched its name in the history of the ODI World Cup by defeating one of the top cricket teams in the ODI format, South Africa. The contest was played at the beautiful Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday, October 17 where the Dutch registered a stunning 38-run victory over the Proteas.

Meanwhile, a unique incident took place during the 2nd innings of the match where a player from the Netherlands dugout was spotted carrying a note which was reportedly sent by their coach Ryan Cook. Surprisingly, not once but it was two times when the Netherlands players spotted reading the notes on the ground and interestingly it even worked for them as on both occasions, the Netherlands successfully picked up wickets.

Few reports have revealed that there was something written about the weakness of a few South African players on the paper. However, whatever it was, it successfully worked for the Dutch and they were able to produce the 2nd upset of the tournament after Afghanistan defeated England in the 13th match of the tournament.

Brilliant bowling performance by the Netherlands

Talking about the match, South Africa won the toss and opted to field first. The overs were already reduced to 43-over per side after the match started with a slight delay due to rain. South African bowlers started brilliantly as they dismantled the Netherlands’ top order. However, the Dutch skipper Scott Edwards steadied the ship by playing an unbeaten knock of 78 runs. 

With few cameos by the Netherlands’ tailenders, the Dutch were able to achieve a respectable total of 245 runs in 43 overs. Apart from Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj, all the Proteas’ bowlers were expensive. Chasing the target, South Africa started horribly and lost their 4 wickets on just 44 runs.

Netherlands’ bowlers continued to put pressure on the South African batters and wrapped up them on the score of just 207 runs. The Dutch repeated their feat of defeating South Africa just like they beat them in the 2022 T20 World Cup.