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Bas de Leede's all-round heroics guided Netherlands to a convincing seven-wicket victory over Namibia in the 10th match of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, at the Arun Jaitlery Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday.
Following a narrow opening-match defeat to Pakistan, the Netherlands reignited their T20 World Cup campaign with a dominant win over Namibia. Bas de Leede was the architect of the win, emerging as the most valuable player with both bat and ball for Netherlands. He dismantled Namibia with the ball (2/20 in 3 overs) before steering a clinical run-chase with a brilliant unbeaten 72-run knock off 48 balls, including five boundaries and four sixes. Opting to field first, the Dutch bowlers found immediate success as Aryan Dutt (1/13 in 3 overs) removed Namibia opener Louren Steenkamp early. Namibia struggled to find momentum in the Powerplay, reaching just 40/1 after 6 overs. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton (42 off 38) and Jan Frylinck (30 off 26) attempted to anchor the innings, but the Netherlands' disciplined bowling kept the run rate in check. The middle overs belonged to Bas de Leede and Logan van Beek (2/13 in 3 overs), who shared four wickets between them. De Leede accounted for the dangerous Gerhard Erasmus and JJ Smit. Namibia eventually finished on a competitive but below-par 156/8 in 20 overs. The Dutch chase began with intent, despite losing Max O'Dowd early to Bernard Scholtz. Michael Levitt (28 off 15) provided a quick burst before falling, leaving the Netherlands at 50/2 in the six overs. From there, it was the Bas de Leede show. Partnering with Colin Ackermann (32 off 28), De Leede anchored the innings with poise before shifting gears. He reached his fifty in just 38 balls. Though Ackermann fell late to Loftie-Eaton, the result was never in doubt. De Leede (72* off 48) and skipper Scott Edwards (18* off 9) wrapped up the chase with 12 balls to spare, ending the match with a stylish boundary. Namibia will next face India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium for their next match on February 12 while Netherlands will travel to Chennai to face USA on February 13. (ANI)
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