ICC Rankings: Edwards, Van der Merwe lead Netherlands surge in ODI charts
Dubai, Aug 5
Netherlands players were rewarded for their recent performances in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 as several members of the Dutch side made significant gains in the latest ICC Men's ODI rankings released on Wednesday.
The Netherlands have been in impressive form during the ongoing League 2 competition and recently registered a 57-run victory over Nepal in Utrecht to strengthen their position inside the top four of the standings, keeping themselves on course for a place in the ICC World Cup Qualifier.
Captain Scott Edwards was among the biggest beneficiaries of the latest rankings update after his match-winning knock of 57 against Nepal. The right-handed batter climbed four places to joint 34th in the ODI batting rankings.
The Dutch bowlers also enjoyed notable gains following the win over Nepal. Veteran left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe moved up 11 places to joint 63rd in the ODI bowling rankings after claiming two wickets in the contest. Fast bowler Logan van Beek also progressed, rising three spots to 76th after taking two wickets in the same match.
Nepal players were also rewarded for their performances during the tri-series involving the Netherlands and Namibia. Wicketkeeper-batter Aasif Sheikh climbed two places to 76th in the ODI batting rankings.
Among the bowlers, Lalit Rajbanshi improved by one position to reach 45th, while pace-bowling all-rounder Karan KC made one of the biggest jumps for Nepal, rising seven places to joint 83rd in the ODI bowling rankings.
Namibia, who also featured in the League 2 tri-series, had four players register gains across the batting, bowling and all-rounder rankings.
Jan Frylinck made the biggest leap among Namibia's batters, climbing 16 places to joint 90th in the ODI batting rankings.
Left-arm pacer Ruben Trumpelmann advanced five places to 87th in the ODI bowling rankings, while all-rounders Bernard Scholtz and JJ Smit also improved their standings.
Scholtz moved up one position to joint 34th in the ODI all-rounders' rankings, while Smit climbed three places to joint 47th, capping a productive rankings update for the Namibian contingent following their League 2 campaign.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Happy for Nepal too! Aasif Sheikh and Karan KC moving up is great news for cricket fans in South Asia. The more competitive these teams become, the better for the global game. Cricket needs more than just the Big Three. 🙌
Honestly, rankings for Associate teams feel meaningless when they barely play ODIs against top sides. Netherlands beat Nepal and suddenly everyone's jumping up. I'd rather see them get more fixtures against Full Members than these cosmetic ranking changes. Just saying.
Roelof van der Merwe is still going strong at his age! That man has been a legend in franchise cricket and now he's showing his class in internationals too. Big respect for players who keep performing across formats. 👏
The whole system needs a revamp honestly. We talk about growing cricket but then give Nepal just one tri-series and expect them to climb rankings. Bring back more bilateral series for these teams, not just rankings updates after a couple of matches.
Netherlands cricket has come a long way since the 2003 World Cup! Their rise in League 2 shows consistent hard work. And Nepal's growth in the last few years is inspiring for all South Asian cricket fans. More power to these teams! 💪
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