ECC T10 2021: Playoff 3, Belgium vs Netherlands-XI - Preview, predicted XIs, pitch report, weather forecast, match prediction and live streaming details

The Belgian national cricket team strikes a pose

Belgium will lock horns with Netherlands-XI in the third playoff of the European Cricket Championship (ECC) 2021 at Cartama Oval in Cartama, Spain.

Belgium are placed in second position in the points table, having have won three of a total of five games. Netherlands XI too have won three games but due to superior run-rate, Belgium are in second spot.

Belgium faced Spain in their last game, where they suffered a loss. Batting first, Belgium scored 96, losing seven wickets. The bowlers started very well while defending, but contributions from the lower order batters ensured that the Spanish side chased down the total with nine balls to spare.

Netherlands-XI faced Belgium in their last ECC league clash, where they earned a hardfought win. Batting first, Netherlands-XI put 132 on the board thanks to a fifty from Clayton Floyd in the opening innings. The bowlers then did a fantastic job of knocking over Belgium for 121, helping the team win the game by 11 runs.

The Netherlands-XI side will be looking to continue their winning momentum ahead in the ECC.

Match Details:

Match: Belgium vs Netherlands-XI, 3rd Playoff, European Cricket Championship (ECC) 2021

Date and Time: October 7, 2021, Thursday, 08:30 PM IST

Venue: Cartama Oval, Cartama

Weather Report

The temperature on Thursday is expected to range between 16 and 27 degrees Celsius. There is no chance of rain and one may expect a full game to be played on Thursday.

Pitch Report

The pitch at Cartama Oval is a belter of a track. The batters enjoy batting on this surface as the ball comes nicely onto the bat. We have seen high-scoring games so far in the competition and another one is on the cards on Thursday.

Predicted Playing XIs

Belgium

The Belgium batters put on a disappointing showing in their last league game against Spain. Ali Raza scored a fifty but lacked support from the other end. Everyone needs to fire in unison to play well against Netherlands-XI in the third playoff of the ECC.

Predicted XI: Ali Raza (wk), Aziz Mohammad, Sheikh Sheraz (c), Burhan Niaz, Saber Zakhil, Sherry Butt, Faisal Mehmood, Omid Rahimi, Khalid Ahmadzai, Waqas Raja, Murid Ekrami

Netherlands-XI

Everyone has stepped up for the Netherlands-XI side so far in the ECC. Clayton Floyd scored a quickfire fifty in their last game and will be looking to carry his form forward. Skipper Sebastiaan Braat picked up four wickets. They will be hoping to repeat their performance in the third ECC playoff.

Predicted XI: Clayton Floyd, Musa Ahmad, Victor Lubbers, Boris Gorlee, Sebastiaan Braat (c), Ryan Klein, Olivier Elenbaas, Ratha Alphonse (wk), Shariz Ahmad, Julian De Mey, Viv Kingma

Match Prediction

The last time these two sides met, Netherlands-XI beat Belgium in a closely-fought contest. The Netherlands-XI batters have been good whereas the Belgium batters have put on a poor show so far. They quickly need to get back to the drawing board ahead of the playoffs.

The Netherlands XI look a well-settled side and will be eager to continue their winning momentum against Belgium in the ECC game on Thursday.