New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) After pushing Pakistan to the brink in Colombo, though it didn’t result in an upset win, the Netherlands will test their credentials against a quietly dangerous Namibia in a Men’s T20 World Cup Group A clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.

The Dutch arrive in India’s national capital with tangible proof they can unsettle higher-ranked opposition. Their spirited performance against 2009 champions Pakistan showed promise but also exposed familiar vulnerabilities. Namibia are opening their tournament campaign, but they will be aware of areas where the Dutch’s weaknesses can be exploited.

Against Pakistan, skipper Scott Edwards’ 37 anchored the innings, while Bas de Leede (30) and Colin Ackermann (20) provided some momentum. But the innings showed a concern area for the Netherlands: the inability to fully capitalise after a decent start. At 105/4 in the 13th over, the Netherlands were positioned for a 160-plus total but lost five wickets for 42 runs as Pakistan’s spinners tightened the screws.

Their struggles against spinners stood out – six Dutch wickets picked by the tweakers at a run rate of 7.2. More alarmingly, their batting in overs 17-20 yielded only 20 runs for five wickets at a run rate of 5.2. Against Namibia’s varied bowling attack, that middle and death overs phase could again decide the contest.

The Dutch will look to their opening pair of Michael Levitt and Max O’Dowd to lay the platform for a big total, provided the pitch in New Delhi offers big runs. Their bowling, meanwhile, showed why they remain competitive in global events. Economical spells from Paul van Meekeren, Roelof van der Merwe and Aryan Dutt showed they have the bowlers to keep a lid on the scoring rate.

Their middle-overs squeeze was particularly effective in inducing a Pakistani collapse, but that was squandered in the face of poor death overs bowling, with the veteran Logan van Beek struggling and O’Dowd’s dropped catch of Faheem Ashraf proving to be costly.

Namibia, meanwhile, will take encouragement from those gaps. Appearing at their fourth consecutive T20 World Cup, the African side are yet to progress beyond the first stage. This time, they arrive high on confidence after a landmark victory over South Africa in their first-ever T20I against them last year. Since the 2024 World Cup, Namibia have won nine of 16 matches – something that speaks of improved consistency.

Led by Gerhard Erasmus, Namibia have a blend of talented youngsters combining with battle-hardened performers. Erasmus himself, along with six others in the current squad, was part of the Namibia playing eleven that beat the Netherlands in 2021.

Bernard Scholtz and Jan Frylinck add more value to Namibia’s experienced core, while JJ Smit’s all-round ability adds much-needed depth. Left-arm pace spearhead Rubem Trumpelmann’s height and ability to extract movement make him a potent threat in the powerplay. His ability to strike early could be crucial against Levitt and O’Dowd, as well as Bernard Scholtz’s handy left-arm spin.

Batting-wise, Namibia will lean heavily on stability at the top from Erasmus, Louren Steenkamp and Malan Kruger, with wicketkeeper Zane Green expected to marshal the middle order alongside Smit. Conditions in New Delhi could further level the playing field. With relatively short square boundaries, adaptability will be key for bowlers to stop the batters from indulging in big-hitting pyrotechnics.

For both teams, the stakes are clear. A win for either of them here could boost their T20 World Cup journey, while a loss would leave little margin for error in a tightly contested group that also features India, Pakistan and the United States of America.

When: Tuesday, February 10, 11:00 AM IST

Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming

Head to head record:

Total matches 5

Namibia: 1

Netherlands 3

No result: 1

Performance of both teams in their last 5 matches, respectively

Namibia : W, W, W, L, W

Netherlands : W, L, L, NR, L

Squads

Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Malan Kruger, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, JC Balt, Dylan Leicher, WP Myburgh, Max Heingo

Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Noah Croes, Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Max O’Dowd, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar

–IANS

nr/bc