Vaibhav Tripathi
On Saturday, September 29, two World Cup 2023 warm-up matches concluded without a decisive outcome. In the warm-up game between India and England in Guwahati, no play was possible due to unfavorable weather conditions.
Meanwhile, at Thiruvananthapuram’s Greenfield International Stadium, the warm-up match between Australia and the Netherlands witnessed a total of 37.2 overs being bowled. After winning the toss, Australia chose to bat first in the 50-over game, which was eventually reduced to 23 overs due to rain.
Australia opened with Josh Inglis, who had limited experience as an opener in ODIs, partnering with Steve Smith. While Inglis departed early, Smith played a remarkable innings, scoring 55 runs from 42 balls as the opening batsman. Alex Carey contributed 28 runs from 25 balls at number 3, while Cameron Green added 34 runs from 26 balls. Mitchell Starc, batting at number 6 ahead of Matthew Short, remained unbeaten with 24* off 22 balls, helping Australia reach a total of 166/7 in 23 overs. The fielding side conceded 11 extras.
Roelof van der Merwe was the standout bowler for the Netherlands, finishing with figures of 2/12 in 3 overs. Bas de Leede and Logan van Beek each claimed a couple of wickets, maintaining good control. Shariz Ahmad took the other wicket during Australia’s innings.
Chasing 167 for victory in 23 overs, the Netherlands struggled early as Mitchell Starc secured a hat-trick. Max O’Dowd, Wesley Barresi, and Bas de Leede all departed without scoring. Vikramjit Singh also fell cheaply. Colin Ackermann played a vital role, remaining unbeaten with 31* off 37 balls. Skipper Scott Edwards was dismissed for 14 off 10 balls. Logan van Beek finished with 9* off 9 balls alongside Ackermann when the game was abandoned due to inclement weather.