:Bas de Leede struck a superb 123 as Netherlands sealed qualification for the 50-over Cricket World Cup in India with a four-wicket victory over Scotland on Thursday in their final fixture at the preliminary tournament played in Zimbabwe.
Netherlands needed to chase down their victory target of 278 in 44 overs to not only win the game but also leap-frog Scotland into second place in the table on net run rate.It was a feat they achieved in 42.5 overs to join Sri Lanka as the second qualifiers from the preliminary tournament.
Netherlands will appear at a fifth World Cup and their first since 2011. This year’s global finals will be staged from Oct. 5-Nov.
19."We had a look at the targets, where we wanted to be at the halfway point," De Leede said at the post-match presentation."The rate was 10 to 11 runs per over, so we had to go into T20 mode and try and score as many runs as we could and see where it would take us. "It's amazing, I can't describe the feeling, it's going to be one big party tonight!"Netherlands elected to field and restricted Scotland to 277 for nine in their 50 overs on a good batting wicket.