Bas de Leede's all-round masterclass helps Netherlands book place in ODI World Cup against Scotland

Harare: Bas de Leede put up a terrific displaying of bowling and batting to help the Netherlands cruise into the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
Netherlands became part of yet another historic match as they knocked out Scotland and booked their tickets for the World Cup in India. The Dutch team chased down the target of 278 in just 42.5 overs. Bas de Leede became only the fourth player in men's ODI history to bag a five-for and slam a century in the same match.
Chasing a competitive target of 278, Netherlands openers Christopher McBride and Matthew Cross started their innings patiently. Despite a few early alarms, the Dutch openers completed a half-century opening stand. Scotland, on the other hand, did well to keep things tight and were rewarded when Michael Leask caught Max O'Dowd, breaking the 65-run partnership. In his next over, Leask removed the other opener, Vikramjit Singh, to further rattle the Netherlands.
Batting hero McMullen gave his team additional hope when he bowled Wessly Barresi in the 20th over, lowering the Netherlands to 93/3. At the halfway point, Chris Greaves struck to send Teja Nidamanuru back.
The tempo was sluggish at first. Scotland remained in the game until Scott Edwards was bowled in the 31st over by Mark Watts. Bas de Leede, on the other hand, stood tall at one end, bringing up his fifty. The burden was on the Dutch to speed up as the qualifying scenario loomed huge.
Zulfiqar was an excellent support for de Leede, who began chipping away at the runs in ones and twos at first. When the equation reached 45 out of 24 balls, de Leede opted to change the momentum, and Watt was left to suffer the brunt of the Orange Onslaught.
De Leede smashed back-to-back sixes to bring up a stunning century, and Zulfiqar smacked the third six in that over to swiftly relieve the strain.
Two more sixes followed in the following over to practically ensure the Dutch victory, and when de Leede was run-out in the next over, Logan van Beek stepped in and hit the winning runs, much to the pleasure of his teammates.
The Netherlands' choice to bowl first after winning the toss was validated when Logan van Beek dismissed the dangerous Matthew Cross for a two-ball duck in the opening over.
Bas de Leede broke the budding stand of Christopher McBride and Brandon McMullen, sending both Scottish openers back to the pavilion.
De Leede removed George Munsey less than four overs later, leaving Scotland on 64/3 in 15 overs. Brandon McMullen, who had plenty of time to acclimatise to the situation, eventually grabbed control of the match.
He bided his time, punishing the bad balls and eventually brought up his fifty. He accelerated after achieving the milestone and along with Richie Berrington put Scotland in a strong position.
The Netherlands ultimately broke through when McMullen edged it to the keeper off Ryan Klein for 106, but not before Scotland passed the 200-run barrier. Meanwhile, Berrington scored a magnificent half-century. De Leede bowled him on 68 in the 45th over.
De Leede struck twice in the 49th minute, stalling Scotland's progress. He finished with a five-wicket haul, his first in ODIs. Scotland set Netherlands a competitive target of 278.
Brief score: Scotland 277/9 (Brandon McMullen 106, Richie Berrington 64; Bas de Leede 5-52) vs Netherlands 278/6 (Bas de Leede 123, Vikramjit Singh 40; Michael Leask 2-42).