Proteas down Dutch to edge closer to World Cup berth

(REUTERS)-CaptainTemba Bavuma scored an unbeaten 90 to steer South Africa to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over the Netherlands in their one-day international and put them in sight of automatic World Cup qualification.

Bavuma’s decisive knock came off 79 balls as South Africa scored 2-190 in reply to the Dutch total of 189 in Friday’s clash at Benoni.

Aiden Markram contributed 51 in a 102-run unbeaten partnership with Bavuma to steer South Africa to victory with 20 overs remaining.

The Dutch were put in to bat on an unusually cold day on the Highveld and, with the altitude assisting them, got off to a bright start with 58 off 66 balls for the first wicket.

But Max O’Dowd’s dismissal, as he edged Sisanda Magala to Quinton de Kock, took the momentum away and the Dutch were never able to get a profitable partnership going again.

Opener Vikramjit Singh hit some impressive sixes in his 45 off 53 balls while Teja Nidamanuru, in at number six, top-scored for the tourists with 48.

Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi took 3-25, backed up by seamer Magala with 3-37 as the Dutch were bowled out in 46.1 overs.

The victory moved South Africa, who picked up 10 points, into ninth place in the World Cup Super League which determines the eight automatic qualifiers for the World Cup in India later this year.

South Africa’s win means Sri Lanka will finish outside the top eight in the standings and will have to compete in a qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe in June, when two more World Cup places are on offer.

If South Africa win their last qualifying ODI against the Dutch at the Wanderers on Sunday, then the West Indies will also drop out of the top eight and be forced to compete in the qualifying tournament.

Only Ireland will then stand a chance of automatic qualification but will need three emphatic wins over Bangladesh when they host them at Chelmsford in May to finish above South Africa in the Super League standings.

International engagements and personal reasons have forced Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan to opt out of IPL 2023. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Shakib informed Kolkata Knight Riders about this development on Sunday. The franchise will begin the process of seeking a replacement once it gets a nod from the IPL.

Shakib is set to be involved in a busy few weeks for Bangladesh He and keeper-batter Litton Das already missed Knight Riders’ first match of the season, against Punjab Kings while playing a home T20I series against Ireland The two are also part of Bangladesh’s squad for a one-off Test match against Ireland that begins on Tuesday This will be followed by a tour of the UK, where Bangladesh are set to play three ODIs against Ireland in Chelmsford on May 9, 12 and 14

It is understood that Shakib told Knight Riders that he would be busy playing for Bangladesh in this period, and also mentioned that he has “personal issues to attend to”, which would keep him away from the IPL

The development also puts the spotlight on Litton, who was also signed by Knight Riders at the 2023 player auction in December Litton will be part of the same two series Shakib will be involved in, against Ireland, but at the moment he remains part of the Knight Riders squad There was no confirmation or clarity on whether Das, too, will opt out of the IPL

On December 22, the day before the auction, the IPL had informed teams about the availability of overseas players At the time, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had informed the IPL about the “limited availability” of its players The BCB told the IPL that the Bangladesh players selected for the Ireland series would be “available from 8 April to 1 May.”

On March 18, Knight Riders had communicated to the media that Shakib would be arriving in India after the third T20I against Ireland on March 31, while Litton would arrive after the one-off Test match, which runs until April 8.

Shakib, however, was later named in Bangladesh’s Test squad, reducing his availability to the franchise

Without Shakib, Knight Riders have only six overseas players in their squad, including Litton The team has already been hit hard by player unavailability issues, with their full-time captain Shreyas Iyer ruled out of at least the first half of the season with a back injury.

Knight Riders have played one game so far this season, losing a rain-affected contest against Punjab Kings in Mohali. They will play their next game on Thursday, at home against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Kolkata.(Cricinfo).

CRICKET West Indies Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Johnny Grave has described 2022 as a year of recovery recovery both on and off the field, following two extremely challenging years due to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Grave, in his annual report at the recently concluded Annual General Meeting, “CWI has just staged our busiest-ever regional and international cricket schedule, as well as delivered record revenues to help get the organisation back on track, continuing to work towards achieving