Steven Smiths Heroics Power Amsterdam Flames to Big Win
Amsterdam Flames secured a thrilling six run victory over Rotterdam Dockers at Sportpark Duivesteijn. Steven Smith played a composed knock of 58, while Tim David added a quick 38 to help the team to score 181/7. Following this, their bowling attack restricted Rotterdam to 175/7.
Pitch and Weather
The match will be played at Sportpark Duivesteijn, which is expected to offer a balanced T20 surface with decent pace and consistent bounce. The new ball will be able to provide some movement to the seam bowlers, while the fast outfield will be able to encourage the batsmen for stroke play. Spinners are likely to become more effective in the middle overs, as the surface slows down. Cool conditions with partial cloud cover, moderate humidity and a light breeze are expected, giving the bowlers some assistance early on.
Toss
Rotterdam Dockers win the toss and decide to bowl first. Faf du Plessis aims to make use of early bowling conditions, and restrict Amsterdam Flames to a low total.
Lineups
Amsterdam Flames: Yuvraj Samra, Steven Smith, Bas de Leede, Tim David, Scott Edwards (C), Jordan Neill, Curtis Campher, Michael Bracewell, Tim Pringle, Aryan Dutt, Richard Gleeson
Rotterdam Dockers: Michael Levitt, Faf du Plessis (C), Vikramjit Singh, Heinrich Klaasen, Ben McDermott, Ben Manenti, David Wiese, Saqib Zulfiqar, Roelof van der Merwe, Anrich Nortje, Jai Moondra
Match Report
Amsterdam Flames had a positive start after being asked to bat first, as Yuvraj Samra and Steven Smith did well against Rotterdam’s new ball attack. Anrich Nortje was able to do well with his pace but he struggled against Smith, who guided the team to score 54/1 after six overs. Samra lost his wicket after scoring 26, bringing down Bas de Leede to the crease.
Smith continued to anchor the innings, while de Leede attacked the spinners. Roelof van der Merwe and Ben Manenti tightened the scoring in the middle overs, as Smith lost his wicket to Manenti after scoring 58 runs off 40 balls. Tim David was able to give the required acceleration, as he scored 38 runs off 21 balls. Scott Edwards also brought down a cameo, which helped Amsterdam to score 181/7.
Rotterdam started the chase aggressively with the help of Michael Levitt and Faf du Plessis. Levitt scored 34 runs off 20 balls which gave momentum to the Dockers before Gleeson removed him. Faf was able to continue confidently, but Michael Bracewell removed him for 43, leaving Rotterdam at 91/2. Heinrich Klaasen and Ben McDermott kept the chase alive with their 57-run partnership. Klaasen lost his wicket after scoring 39, as Amsterdam’s spinners slowed down the scoring rate.
Rotterdam now needed 34 runs off the final three overs, when McDermott smashed three consecutive boundaries. But Richard Gleeson bowled an excellent 19th over, conceding just six runs. The team required 20 runs from the final over, where they only managed to score 14, finishing at 175/7.
Player of the Match
Steven Smith won the Player of the Match award for scoring 58 runs off 40 balls, which helped Rotterdam Dockers to post a strong total on the board.