Dharamsala wasn’t ready for its close-up on Monday. Rain, fuelled by a wild wind and snow on the bleakly brooding Dhauladhar mountains, part of the Middle Himalayas, had been falling hard enough to wake the sleeping from soon after the sun had risen behind a curtain of clouds. All of 31 millimetres was predicted to soak these famous peaks and valleys before the day was out, with another 8.2 millimetres forecast for Tuesday afternoon.
Consequently one of the most enthusiastically photographed grounds in cricket seemed in need of dark glasses, a headscarf and men in black suits to protect it from the paparazzi. Outside the main entrance a large ICC banner proclaiming the presence here of the men’s World Cup had been shredded by the elements. Inside, even though two matches had been played here in the tournament, workers were apparently putting the place back together. Unlike most views of Dharamsala, it was not a pretty sight.
As beautiful as depictions are of this special place almost as far from Mount Everest as it is from the Arabian Sea, to be in it, to breathe its sharp air and feel its coolth on the skin, is to challenge the laws of cruel nature. Daring to exist here as a sentient being is a harsh way to live.
Doubtless that will apply for the match between South Africa and the Netherlands on Tuesday, and for those watching more than for those playing. But the spectators will know that already. The teams, although they have trained in these conditions in the past days having come from warmer climes, are in for a rude awakening. And, for one of them, not only in a meteorological sense.
The South Africans have swooped into Dharamsala on the wings of victories over Sri Lanka and Australia. Another win and they will have to make a right mess of things to not reach the semifinals. The Dutch have lost to Pakistan and New Zealand. Another loss and the bubble of bliss they entered by qualifying for the tournament ahead of West Indies and Zimbabwe in July will burst with a bang.
All things considered, the first outcome is exponentially more likely than the second. South Africa have the look of a settled side who have taken a firmer grip on their many strengths and few weaknesses than most. So Temba Bavuma can be forgiven for bristling ever so politely at a question during his press conference on Monday that harked back to his team’s shock defeat by the Dutch in the T20 World Cup in Australia in November.
“That was a T20 World Cup, it’s a 50-over World Cup now,” Bavuma said. “It’s a different format and a different ask in terms of your skills; being able to perform your skills for a longer period of time. That’s something we all need to appreciate.”
To reinforce his point he reminded all present that South Africa had hammered the Netherlands by eight wickets and 146 runs in two ODIs on the Highveld in March and April. If nature’s cruelty stays away for long enough on Tuesday, and his team play like they have, he won’t be asked that question again.
When: October 17, 2023 at 14:00 IST
Where: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
What to expect: Mountain views and quirky architecture, a cabbage patch of an outfield – a properly small outfield – and a pitch that prompts even non-Asian teams to pick more than one spinner but that also rewards the quicks. And rain, although not enough, according to the forecast, to derail the match entirely.
Teams
South Africa
Given the combination of the dimensions of the outfield and the expected weather, maybe a second spinner isn’t a good idea. The South Africans might also want to unleash their full fast bowling power ahead of the bigger games to come, if only to remember where their bowling bread is buttered. Thus Gerald Coetzee could return at the expense of Tabraiz Shamsi.
Tactics & strategy:If they bat first and use all their overs, a total in excess of 400 is a distinct possibility. It isn’t often a South African team arrives at a tournament tipped as a batting threat, and even less often that they fulfill that promise.
But, having registered four centuries in their first two matches – two by the white-hot Quinton de Kock – there is no doubt South Africa’s line-up is feared. Not the least of the upsides is that that takes some of the pressure off an attack that is without key members. Sisanda Magala, for instance – who is out with a knee injury – took 8/80 in two ODIs against the Dutch in South Africa in March and April.
Probable XI: Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi
Netherlands
There were no happier cricketers on the planet than the Dutch when they nailed down one of the last two places at the World Cup at the qualifiers in Zimbabwe in June and July. Now that they’ve lost to Pakistan and New Zealand at the main event, the smiles have no doubt faded. There’s quality in their ranks and levels of planning and belief that could teach other teams a lesson, but it’s difficult to imagine them leaving this tournament with good memories.
Tactics & strategy: The Netherlands’ results don’t make for good reading, but Vikramjit Singh, Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann have scored half-centuries and de Leede took 4/62 against Pakistan. Improving will mean putting more performances like those together in one match.
As the South Africans know only too well, the Dutch have more than enough skill and grit to beat the best. But that’s more easily done in T20Is. There are fewer places to hide their limitations in this format.
Probable XI: Vikramjit Singh, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards (C), Sybrand Engelbrecht, Roelof van der Merwe, Ryan Klein, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren
Did you know?
– Teams batting second have won four of the six completed ODIs at this ground, and in the two they’ve lost they have been asked to overhaul the biggest totals made in Dharamsala: 364/9 and 330/6.
– Quinton de Kock, South Africa’s leading batter at this tournament, averages a measly 8.5 in ODIs against the Dutch, albeit he has had just two innings against them.
– Since 2021, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen all average above 50 in overs 11 to 40 in ODIs, as does Vikramjit Singh.
What they said:
“We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing. Against the Netherlands, nothing will be different. We’ll assess conditions and play accordingly. The important thing is that we keep getting better and use that momentum.” – Temba Bavuma offers an even straighter bat than he does at the crease.
“We’ve played some good cricket in patches. We just haven’t put together enough phases where we dominate. We need to put together all three phases of the game to win.” – Colin Ackermann has the theory down pat, now to put it into practice.
