England lose to Netherlands in World T20 sensation

The Netherlands have beaten England by four wickets in the first game of the ICC World Twenty20, in one of the biggest upsets in cricket history. They chased down England’s total of 162/5 by running two off the last ball of the game, thanks to an overthrow.

On a murky evening, Netherlands had won the toss and inserted their hosts. England’s new opening pair Luke Wright (71) and Ravi Bopara (46) again impressed, racing to 100 from the first 11 overs, before the side lost their way. With Rob Key coming in for the injured Kevin Pietersen, England lacked the big hitters down the order to capitalise on the excellent start. Owais Shah, Eoin Morgan and Paul Collingwood were all dismissed cheaply. 

Nonetheless, despite not hitting a single six in the innings, 162/5 seemed a competitive total. But the Netherlands were inspired by the clean hitting of Darren Reekers (20 off 13) at the top of the order, before Tom de Grooth (49 off 30) put them in with a real chance.

With their most experienced pro campaigner Ryan ten Doeschate (22 off 17) coming in at No 6, Netherlands needed 21 to win off 18. Finally, it came down to two runs required off the last ball – Edgar Schiferli hit the ball straight back to bowler Stuart Broad who, in failing to run Schiferli out, threw the ball past the stumps, allowing the Dutch to return for a second match-winning single.

With the rain pouring down throughout the Dutch innings, this was a tense game with England visibly shaken by the challenge they faced and missing several key run-out chances that might have changed the course of the game. The Netherlands were  up with the Duckworth-Lewis requirement throughout, but the umpires, despite the poor conditions, showed no inclination to bring the players off.

Adil Rashid played ahead of Graeme Swann but his showing (1/36 off four) failed to apply the brakes. James Anderson (3/23 off four overs) was the pick of the bowlers but England’s batting and fielding let them down, while the Dutch were apparently fearless in their batting.

With the opening ceremony, led by Alesha Dixon, called off thanks to the poor weather, it seemed as if the ICC World Twenty20 would get off to an anti-climactic start. As it happened, the inspirational Dutch side made this a night to remember.

Now, England must beat Pakistan on Sunday to avoid being chucked out of their own tournament at the first hurdle.