World Cup 2023: Watch – Mitchell Starc take hat-trick against Netherlands in the Warm-up Match: Just a week prior to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, the Australians announced their arrival into the tournament with an overwhelming show with the ball. The Aussies sent shock waves for their opponents as their bowling unit decimated the Netherlands in the warm-up game, held in Thiruvananthapuram, last night.
Though the overall game was marred by torrential rain, and no result was possible, there was enough for the fans, who saw the Australian pacers dismantling the Dutch players quite easily.
The fixture between Australia and Netherlands was reduced to 23 overs per side due to heavy showers in Thiruvananthapuram. Australian captain Pat Cummins had opted to bat first and posted a total of 166 runs in 23 overs.
Steve Smith, opened the innings for his team and scored 55 runs while all-rounder Cameron Green played 34-run innings in 26 deliveries.
The challenge was quite demanding for the Netherlands. It was going to be a tough chase under the lights, with the ball doing a lot. And in no time Mitchell Starc turned it from hard to worse for the opponents with his ominous bowling.
Mitchell Starc began his business in the very first over itself, with no nonsense. In the fifth delivery of the first over of the Netherlands innings, Starc trapped Max O’Dowd plumb in front of the three sticks with a nip backer. In the very next delivery, incoming batter Wasley Barresi was made to surrender by Starck with an in-swinger which crashed into the stumps. Barresi was dismissed for a golden duck with a peach of a delivery by Mitchell Starc in the last ball of his first over.
Starc was on a hat-trick in the first ball of his second over. The pacer produced an in-swinging yorker to Bas de Leed, which again, burst into the middle stump. Mitchell Starc completed his hat-trick and was all smiles as he walked back to his mark.
Watch: Mitchell Starc take hat-trick against Netherlands
While Starc maintained silence for some time, all-rounder Sean Abbott produced an unplayable delivery to Sybrand Engelbrecht. Abbott hit the length area with the scrambled seam, thereby giving enough room for the delivery to nip away and beat the outside edge of the batter. The ball went on to kiss the top of the off stump as Engelbrecht tried to play across.
The Aussies completely outplayed the Netherlands’ top order which could amass just nine runs. Opener Vikramjit Singh scored nine runs, while the other three batters in the playing order were dismissed for a duck.
The Netherlands could score 84 runs in the loss of 6 wickets in 14.2 overs before incessant rain began and spoiled the party. Colin Ackerman showed some resistance to the Aussies as he remained unbeaten at 31 runs in 37 deliveries.
Eventually, the umpires called off the fixture and there was no result possible on the day.
Now Australia will face Pakistan in their second warm-up game on October 3 before heading for the ICC World Cup 2023 matches. Meanwhile, the Netherlands will play against India in Thiruvananthapuram on October 3.
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