da realbet： Holland claimed the ICC Trophy with a thrilling last ball victory bytwo wicket over Namibia here at the Toronto Cricket Curling andSkating Club Sunday (partly reported in Monday’s edition)
Latafat Ali Siiddiqui17-Jul-2001Holland claimed the ICC Trophy with a thrilling last ball victory bytwo wicket over Namibia here at the Toronto Cricket Curling andSkating Club Sunday (partly reported in Monday’s edition).Both Holland and Namibia have already qualified for the 2003 World Cupwith the third spot for the South frican tournament to be decided whenScotland face hosts Canada in the all-important qualifying finalTuesday.On Sunday, though, Holland won the battle of the giants in the nerveshattering, fate-fluctuating final. The Dutchmen relied on the battingof Jacob Jan Esmeijer and Klaas-Jan van Noortwijk, who both struckhalf centuries as Holland reached 196 for eight.Noortwijk scored exactly 50 with the help of five boundaries beforebeing bowled by B. Kotze, Man-of-the-Match Jacob Jan Esmeijer, who isbetter known as JJ, cracked unbeaten 58 off 51 balls.Esmeijer came to the crease when the chips were down. Six wickets hadgone with 106 runs on the board and the Namibians had every reason tobe hopeful of victory. But JJ changed the whole complexion of the gamescoring runs on each and every ball to keep the scoreboard moving. Hehit two towering sixes and as many boundaries to help his team toreach victory spot.”We never thought the fight in the ICC Trophy final will be so tough,”Roland Lefebvre, Holland skipper, said after the match.”At one stag, we needed something very special and JJ certainly gaveus something very special,” he said. “Towards the end of the game,both teams were under great pressure.”Lefebvre noted the Namibians were more nervous and as a result therewere a lot of misfields, a lot of fumbles, a lot of twos which theygave away. “I think we capitalized on that, kept going, and playedquite cleverly. JJ hit a couple of big ones but there was a lot oftwos and quick singles taken to get us close to the target.”