Dutch lessons for struggling B'desh

Netherlands bowled with clockwork accuracy and were excellent on the field to script their second upset of the World Cup. After South Africa, the men in orange surprised Bangladesh with an all-round bowling performance here on Saturday where fast bowler Paul van Meekeren (3/23) was the first among equals.

- Dhiman Sarkar

The idea was to be relentless with line and length and use the cross-seam, van Meekeren told the official broadcaster after the win. There couldn't have been a better summation of a bowling effort that suffocated Bangladesh. Given where they were at the beginning, in the middle and when approaching the end, 229 looked like a speck in the distance on soupy-lit afternoon. Netherlands rode luck, especially captain Scott Edwards who top-scored with 68 (89b, 6x4), and powerful hitting from Logan van Beek to set a target that was 87 more than Bangladesh, all out for 142, managed.