3 teams Netherlands can beat in the 2023 World Cup

The Netherlands suffered a humbling 128-run defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers on Sunday, July 9. They restricted the Lankans to 233 before being bowled out for a paltry score of 105 in just 23.3 overs.

However, the Dutch will not be sulking as they have already achieved the bigger goal, which was to qualify for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India. They did so on the back of a historic four-wicket win against Scotland on Thursday, July 6.

While they have every right to celebrate the massive achievement, the team will be desperate to put on a good show at the World Cup later this year. The Netherlands have shown over the course of the qualifying tournament that they have what it takes to cause a few upsets.

Here's a look at three teams that the Netherlands can defeat in the 50-over marquee tournament:

#1 Bangladesh

Bangladesh have put up decent performances in the 50-over format lately, but they have a few issues to address ahead of the World Cup. Tamim Iqbal's surprising retirement and subsequent reversal will surely cause some turbulence, and it will be interesting to see how that affects their campaign.

The Tigers have also struggled to find a settled opening pair, which could be a major hindrance in the upcoming tournament.

As such, the Netherlands will be eyeing a win against Bangladesh, who have shown a tendency to play poor cricket in big tournaments. The Dutch will face Bangladesh on October 28 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, a pitch that might be better suited to the Netherlands than Bangladesh.

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#2 Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, the other team to have progressed through the qualifiers, should also be wary of an upset against the Dutch. The two teams have faced each other five times in the 50-over format, with Sri Lanka winning on all five occasions. However, it will be a fresh start for both teams on October 21, when they go head-to-head at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

The pitch is likely to suit Dasun Shanaka's spinners, but the Dutch have a couple of skilled tweakers themselves. The Dutch will take inspiration from their Super Sixes game against the Lankans in which they bowled Sri-Lanka out for just 213. They lost the game by 21 runs but they gave their opponents a mighty scare and will look to go one step further in India.

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#3 South Africa

The Dutch's win over South Africa in last year's ICC T20 World Cup cost the latter a place in the semi-finals

While South Africa are a formidable team and will be amongst the favorites at the World Cup, they have a tendency to slip up on the biggest stages. Thus, a defeat against the Netherlands wouldn't be entirely surprising for the Proteas.

In the 2022 T20 World Cup, the Netherlands beat South Africa at the Adelaide Oval by 13 runs. The result knocked the Proteas, one of the favorites to win the tournament, out of the World Cup. The Netherlands will draw inspiration from the result when they meet in Dharamshala on October 17.