The Netherlands have been left embarrassed after a shambolic start to their innings of the T20 World Cup Super 12 opener against Bangladesh.
The Dutch qualified for the second stage thanks to the UAE recording its first ever World Cup win over Namibia, and batted like a team that stumbled into this part of the tournament.
They produced a solid bowling effort, holding Bangladesh to 8-144, but things immediately turned for the worse as they came out to bat in Hobart.
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Taskin Ahmed was on a hat-trick on the third ball of the innings after getting Vikramjit Singh and Bas de Leede for consecutive golden ducks.
After a slight steadying period the Dutch got back to losing wickets with two shambolic run-outs.
Max O’Dowd was caught halfway down the wicket after calling for a second run which was denied by teammate Colin Ackermann, going for 8 off 8.
Ackermann faced the next two balls and on the second, some excellent fielding on the boundary saw the Dutch take two but Aussie-born Tom Cooper trying to sneak a third, which was never really on. He was caught short despite diving for the crease and had to go for a diamond duck, having not faced a delivery.
It left the Dutch 4-15 off 3.4 overs still needing 130 runs to claim victory.
Ackermann helped them get somewhat close, finishing with 62 off 48 balls, but they still needed help when he left at 9-101.
No.11 Paul van Meekeren – who earlier became the nation’s joint all-time top wicket-taker – added 24 off 14 to threaten a remarkable comeback, needing 12 off the last two before it got out of reach.
He was caught in the deep on the final ball as the Dutch finished all out for 135.
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The 29-year-old fast bowler van Meekeren bagged Soumya Sarkar and Yasit Ali to draw level with Pieter Seelaar on 58 T20 wickets, taking 22 fewer games to get there.
He helped tame the Bangladesh batsmen who struggled for momentum with Afif Hossain top-scoring with 38 and Bas De Leede also taking two wickets.
While Bangladesh qualified directly for the Super 12, their form since the 2021 World Cup as been ordinary, playing 19 T20s and losing 14 of them.
They entered the tournament after crashing in all four games in their tri-series warm-up with New Zealand and Pakistan.
In contrast, the Dutch were on a high after coming through the preliminary round, winning two of three games.
After losing the toss and being sent into bat, Bangladesh plundered 12 off Fred Klaassen’s opening over and kept the pressure on as the bowlers struggled to maintain their line.
With temperatures hovering around 12 degees Celsius (54 degees Fahrenheit), the Dutch took time to warm up but when Van Meekeren switched ends he found extra pace and Soumya Sarkar (14) in the sixth over, mistiming a pull shot to De Leede.
Spinner Tim Pringe was brought on and ended fellow opener Najmul Shanto’s innings on 25 in the next over, caught by Lorgan van Beek after an attempted sweep as Bangladesh faltered at 49-2.
The momentum swung towards the Dutch with dangerman Litton Das out for nine, slapping a Van Beek ball to Tim Cooper at mid-off, before the experienced Shakib Al Hasan fell four balls later, caught in the deep off Shariz Ahmad.
It was 19-year-old spinner Ahmad’s maiden World Cup wicket to leave Bangladesh at 70-4 before a brief rain interruption.
They returned and van Meekeren struck again, clean bowling Yasir Ali with a yorker to draw level with Seelaar.
Hossain (38) and Nurul Hasan (13) put on 44 before De Leede removed them both in the same over as their innings drew to a close.
