Netherlands defeat Scotland by four wickets to go to the ICC Men's ODI World Cup.
Bas de Leede's breathtaking first-ever ODI century propelled Netherlands to a thrilling four-wicket victory over Scotland and the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.
The Dutch knew they had to chase their target of 278 in just 44 overs due to Scotland's superior net run-rate, but victory had appeared improbable at various moments throughout the game.
De Leede, though, was a man on a mission in Bulawayo as he teamed up with Saqib Zulfiqar to score 40 runs off just 11 balls in the dying stages before Logan van Beek scored the go-ahead run to secure qualification.
Bas de Leede's brilliant first-ever ODI century propelled Netherlands to a thrilling four-wicket victory over Scotland and the World Cup.
De Leede was outstanding with both the bat and the ball, recording his first ODI five-for before scoring 123 runs to help the Netherlands win and secure their trip to India later this year.
After Scotland was given the opportunity to bat, Netherlands got off to a great start when Matthew Cross ((0)) was dismissed by Logan van Beek (1/49) in the first over.
But Christopher McBride (32) and Brandon McMullen (106) from Scotland helped to steady the ship until McBride, the opener, was the first of De Leede's five victims, drawing right into Van Beek's hands at midwicket and dying soon after. George Munsey (9) also perished shortly after.
However, as he and Richie Berrington (64 each) approached their second century of their careers, McMullen started to take command of the innings.
When McMullen was finally caught behind by Scott Edwards off the bowling of Ryan Klein, Scotland was in good shape at 201 for four thanks to the pair's stand of more than 150 runs.
In his subsequent over, Leask replicated the technique, this time timing Singh's return to the hutch as Scotland started to slow the run rate.
After making a name for himself with the bat, McMullen contributed for the first time with the ball when he dismissed Wesley Barresi (11) to leave the Netherlands on 94 for three after 20 overs.
Four overs later, Teja Nidamanuru (10) became the first victim of Chris Greaves' first kill of the day, but De Leede (123) and Scott Edwards (25) revived the Dutch chase by putting together a 50-run stand in just 40 balls before Edwards was caught by Mark Watt at long-off.
De Leede then took the strike, slamming over 50 in just 55 balls and then speeding to his century alongside Zulfiqar (84), as the pair worked together to create a massive last few over to surpass the 50 runs needed from the final four overs to stunningly secure qualification.
