Tuesday, 27 October 2026 — Netherlands won by 3 wickets in the 139th ODI of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 2026 at the ICC Academy, Dubai, reaching 245/7 in 43.5 overs with 37 balls to spare. The United Arab Emirates had made 244/8 from their 50 overs, but the match turned on a late collapse that cost them four wickets for 14 runs. Max O'Dowd's 103 off 79 balls, including five sixes, carried the chase.
How the match unfolded
The United Arab Emirates won the toss, chose to bat and made 244/8 at 4.88 an over. Rahul Chopra and Akshdeep Nath did the heavy lifting, adding 140 off 159 balls for the fourth wicket. Nath made 68 off 77 balls before Timm van der Gugten bowled him, and Chopra was unbeaten on 82 off 102 balls with nine fours. The powerplay yielded only 39 runs for two wickets. The innings contained 27 fours but no sixes, and 160 of the 300 deliveries were dot balls.
Netherlands' reply began briskly. O'Dowd and C de Lange put on 102 off 79 balls for the first wicket, and the powerplay closed at 93 for no loss, 54 runs ahead of the United Arab Emirates at that stage. The innings then slowed. Netherlands lost three wickets for 29 runs between 157/4 and 186/7, with Timm van der Gugten run out at 186/7 in the 34th over. Michael Levitt and Aryan Dutt then added an unbroken 59 off 55 balls for the eighth wicket. Dutt finished on 36 off 36 balls, including three sixes, and Levitt on 36 off 50.
The turning point
The decisive spell came between overs 45 and 47.5, when the United Arab Emirates slid from 213/4 to 227/8, losing four wickets for 14 runs. Khuzaima Tanveer, Akshdeep Nath, Basil Hameed and Awais Ali Shah were all dismissed in that stretch. With 213 for 4 in the 45th over, the side was well placed for a sizeable total, but the innings ended on 244/8. In a chase that finished with 37 balls to spare, that shortfall proved decisive.
Where Netherlands won it
Netherlands' bowling and their powerplay were the difference. Timm van der Gugten took 5/39 in 10 overs, with two wickets in over 9 and three more in over 48, and an economy of 3.90. Netherlands then took four wickets for 14 runs in the 45th-to-47th-over collapse, which mattered most. At the top of the order, O'Dowd's 102-run opening stand with C de Lange gave the chase its foundation. Netherlands were 137/3 after 20 overs with 108 needed, and the required rate stayed between 3.6 and 3.85 through the middle overs. At 224/7 after 40 overs they needed only 21 off 60 balls.
Where United Arab Emirates went wrong
The collapse from 213/4 to 227/8 was the costliest moment, and it came when the innings needed one more push. Earlier, the powerplay had left the side 54 runs behind Netherlands, with only 39 for two wickets from 10 overs. Death bowling also cost runs. Aayan Afzal Khan's 10th over went for 16, Awais Ali Shah's 40th for 13 and Junaid Siddique's 41st for 12. The side also went 21 balls without a boundary, losing a wicket in that spell. Batting first was a fair decision, and Chopra and Nath gave the innings a strong middle, but the closing overs did not produce enough runs to match that platform.
Standout performers
- Max O'Dowd (Netherlands): 103 off 79 balls with 10 fours and 5 sixes, and the Player of the Match award.
- Timm van der Gugten (Netherlands): 5/39 in 10 overs, economy 3.90, including three wickets in over 48.
- Rahul Chopra (United Arab Emirates): 82 not out off 102 balls with nine fours.
- Khuzaima Tanveer (United Arab Emirates): 4/43 in 9.5 overs, economy 4.37.
- Michael Levitt and Aryan Dutt (Netherlands): an unbroken 59 for the eighth wicket to finish the chase.
