Shock - Dutch courage beat England in T20 opener

CRICKET: LONDON, June 6, 2009 - The Netherlands enjoyed their greatest day in international cricket as they stunningly beat hosts England by four wickets in the opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 here at Lord’s on Friday.

Two off the last ball, which saw bowler Stuart Broad miss with a shy off the stumps, saw the minnows to a total of 163 for six in reply to England’s 162 for five.

“I’m not going to make any excuses. They beat us fair and square,” England captain Paul Collingwood told Sky Sports after a truly embarrassing defeat, even by the standards of English cricket.

He added: “Give Holland a lot of credit - we thought we had enough runs but they knocked them off.

“We didn’t bowl as well as we could have but we expected to win and they have put a major performance in,” said Collingwood after what was only England’s second loss to an Associate or non-Test nation following their defeat by Zimbabwe at the 1992 World Cup.

Dutch captain Jeroen Smits, who had insisted beforehand that his side could cause an upset, said: “It’s really unbelievable. This is something special. I think I can sleep well tonight.”

England who had been 102 for one were made to pay for their failure to build on a superb opening stand by some enterprising Dutch batting led by a fine 49 from man-of-the-match Tom de Grooth. Essex all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate finished on 22 not out with pace bowler Edgar Schiferli five not out.

The Dutch needed seven off the last over.

They scrambled a single off the first ball when Broad missed with an underarm throw at the stumps.

Next ball Broad had another chance but the diving quick knocked the stumps down with his hand rather than the ball to leave the Dutch needing five off four with ten Doeschate on strike.

Broad then dropped a caught and bowled chance off the next ball which again yielded a single.

This left the target at four runs off three balls.

Three off two became two off one with Schiferli on strike before Broad’s error helped the Dutch deserverdly get home. While England’s innings hadn’t featured a single six, Netherlands opener Darron Reekers managed two off his own bat, pulling Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson, during his knock of 20. Meanwhile de Grooth reverse-swept leg-spinner Adil Rashid for four.

Rashid though did have Bas Zuiderent stumped by James Foster to leave the Dutch 66 for three in the ninth over.

However Rashid, who England had chosen over more experienced off-spinner Graeme Swann in a bid to give the Yorkshire bowler a taste of the big time, saw his four overs go for an expensive 36 runs. At the 10 over half-way mark the Netherlands were 91 for three and up with the rate and de Grooth gave Collingwood the same treatment he’d been meeting out to the rest of the attack by pulling the medium-pacer for four through mid-wicket.

De Grooth’s impressive 30-ball innings ended with him one short off a fifty when he got a leading edge to a Collingwood slower ball and gave a gentle catch to Robert Key at short cover.

His exit ended a fifty stand with Borren but at 116 for four off 13 overs the Netherlands needed 47 runs off the final seven overs.

Netherlands - gutsy fightback

England missed another run-out chance when Foster fumbled Collingwood’s throw with Borren yards short.Borren though holed out for 30, off just 25 balls, with the Dutch 133 for five in the 16th over as the rain started to fall.

Daan van Bunge then went down the pitch to cream Rashid for four through the covers and the Netherlands’s target was down to 21 off three overs.

The Netherlands earlier staged a gutsy fightback with the ball.England, who were without the injured Kevin Pietersen (Achilles), had been on a course for a huge total during a first-wickt stand of 102 between Bopara (46) and Luke Wright, who top scored with 71.

 ENGLAND

R. Bopara c Seelaar b ten Doeschate  	 	46
L. Wright c Borren b ten Doeschate		71
O. Shah c Kervezee b Schiferli  		 5
E. Morgan c Zuiderent b Borren		 	 6
P. Collingwood c Schiferli b Seelaar		11
R. Key not out 					10
J. Foster not out  				 3
Extras (w10)  					10
Total (5 wkts, 20 overs) 			162

Did not bat: A. Rashid, S. Broad, R. Sidebottom, J. Anderson.

Fall of wickets: 1-102 (Bopara), 2-113 (Shah), 3-127 (Morgan), 
4-144 (Wright), 5-153 (Collingwood).

Bowling: Nannes 4-0-30-0 (3w); 
	 Schiferli 4-0-33-1; 
	 Ten Doeschate 4-0-35-2 (2w); 
	 Seelaar 4-0-33-1; 
	 Borren 4-0-31-1 (5w).
    
NETHERLANDS

A. Kervezee c Broad b Anderson			 1
D. Reekers c Shah b Broad	 		20	
B. Zuiderent st Foster b Rashid			16
T. de Grooth c Key b Collingwood 		49
P. Borren c Shah b Anderson			30
R. ten Doeschate not out 			22
D. van Bunge c Wright b Anderson		 8
E. Schiferli not out   				 5
Extras (bl, lb13, w2)			 	16
Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 			163

Did not bat: J. Smits, D. Nannes, P. Seelaar.

Fall of wickets: 1-2 Kervezee),2-23 (Reekers), 3-66 (Zuiderent), 4-116 (de Grooth), 
		 5-133 (Borren), 6-146 (Van Bunge).

Bowling: Anderson 4-0-23-3; 
	 Sidebottom 4-0-23-0; 
	 Broad 4-0-32-1 (1w); 
	 Rashid 4-0-36-1; 
	 Wright 2-0-18-0 (1w); 
	 Collingwood 2-0-17-1.

Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS) and Asoka de Silva (SRI).

TV umpire: Tony Hill (NZL).Match Referee: Alan Hurst (AUS). AFP