Netherlands defeated West Indies in their ICC World Cup 2023 Qualifiers, at the Takashinga Cricket Club in Harare on Monday. West Indies posted 374/6 in 50 overs after the Netherlands elected to bowl first. West Indies' huge total came after an unbeaten ton by Nicholas Pooran (104*). Meanwhile, Saqib Zulfiqar and Bas de Leede took two wickets for the Dutch. Chasing a target of 375 runs, Netherlands reached 374/9 in 50 overs, with Teja Nidamanuru (111) smacking a ton. For the Windies, Roston Chase scalped three wickets. In the Super Over, Logan van Beek smacked an unbeaten knock of 30 runs off six balls as Netherlands posted 30/0. Chasing 31, West Indies were restricted to 8/2, with Van Beek scalping two wickets.

Read Also: World Cup 2023 | Which Teams Have Qualified for the ICC Event?

Netherlands' score in the super-over is now surely the highest by any team in the history of Cricket. A memorable day for the Dutch international cricket side, they will remember it for a long time. A virtually full-strength West Indies team was being taken down by an under-staffed Netherlands at the Harare. The Netherlands are known for surprises and they did it again.

ICC World Cup 2023 Qualifiers: What happened in the match?

West Indies - 374/6 | Pooran - 104*(65)

King and Charles got off to a brilliant start for the West Indies side with a partnership of 101. Charles lost his wicket after scoring an important half-century but King didn't stop there. After a few short partnerships, Pooran stepped onto the pitch and he made himself clear right from the beginning. King returned to the dugout after scoring a valuable 76 runs while Pooran was dealing with sixes all around the ground. He scored his third ODI International century and with the help of Keemo Paul, West Indies reached a mammoth total of 374 runs after losing six wickets. Saqib and Leede scalped two wickets but other than Saqib, everyone was too much expensive.

Netherlands - 374/9 | Nidamanuru - 111(76)

The Netherlands started really well but kept on losing wickets. Vikramjit Singh and O'Dowd built a 76 runs partnership before Chase came up with the breakthrough. Nidamanuru and the skipper, Scott Edwards took the Netherlands from a critical situation to the gasp of victory. They built a partnership of 143 runs before Edwards (67) gifted his wicket to Chase. Nidamanuru didn't stop and carried on and finally scored a brilliant century, a century to remember for a long time. Logan van Keep then played a stormy cameo of 28 in 14 to lead the Netherlands to label the score.

Netherlands scored the highest score in the super over

Logan van Beek scored 30 runs in the super over by himself and almost confirmed the victory. Jason Holder bowled the super over and got thrashed by Logan all around the ground. He smashed 3 sixes and 3 fours to reach there. He became the leader as he also bowled and restricted West Indies from scoring more than 8 runs. Logan van Beek dismissed Charles and Shephard and won the match for the Netherlands side.

Bangladesh scripted a history for themselves after beating West Indies in the second and last test of the WI vs BAN series by a massive 101 runs at Kingston on Tuesday. This was their first test win in West Indies since 2009. Taijul Islam (1/24 & 5/50) was the player of the match in the last test.

After getting thrashed in the first test, Bangladesh came back strong to draw the series by 1-1 and secure their third away win in 2024 - their most in a calendar year.

First Inning | Bangladesh 164

Except for Shadman Islam (64) and captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz (36), none could stand against the fiery spells of Jayden Seales (4/5) and Shamar Joseph (3/49). The West Indian bowling line up was so impeccable that Jayden Seales registered the most economical figures in Test cricket since 1978, giving away just 5 runs in 15.5 overs while taking four wickets.

Shadman and Mehidy tried their bests but could not take Bangladesh over 200 in the first inning. 

Jayden 'Seales' the record! 🤩

The Windies spearhead recorded the best economy rate in Test cricket since 1978 as his 4 wickets helped bundle Bangladesh for 164! 👏🏻#WIvBANonFanCode pic.twitter.com/WNSyHAqa0S

— FanCode (@FanCode) December 2, 2024

Second Inning | West Indies 146

After a not-so-good show with the bat, Bangladesh made a quick turn around in the match by bundling out the home side for 146 in their first inning. Captain Kraigg Brathwaite tried to play a steady inning but after his dismissal at 39 from 129 balls, West Indian batting lineup fell like a house of cards. 

From 2/94, they were bowled out for 146 in just next 20 overs. Nahid Rana was the star of the show for Bangladesh, picking up his first five-wicket haul in test cricket with a fiery 5/61 in 18 overs.

Third Inning | Bangladesh 268

Despite having an important 18-run lead in the first inning, Bangladesh could not capitalize with their momentum. Mahmudul Hasan Joy returned to pavilion for a duck in the first over and Shadman Islam (46) had to solidify Bangladesh's inning again. But, after his dismissal, it was captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz (42 from 39 balls) who tried his best to take the counter attack to the West Indian bowlers. 

However, with Bangladesh at 193/5 at the end of Day 3's play, it was Jaker Ali who took them to a respectable score. Even after getting hit on the helmet early on Day 4, Jaker continued like a true fighter and scored his third test fifty in his third test match. 

He could have got his maiden test ton, if he was not forced to go for big shots while playing with the tail. With Zaker getting out on his best test score of 91, Bangladesh finished on 268 in the second innings, giving West Indies a 287 run target.

Read Also | Most Wickets for India in Pink Ball Test

Fourth Inning | West Indies 185 

With the series on the line, Bangladesh bowlers had to come up with a great performance on Day 4 and Taijul Islam and Taskin Ahmed provided them the start they were looking for. After Taijul removed a solid looking Kraigg Brathwaite (43), and followed it up with the wicket of Alick Athanaze in his next over, Bangladesh were close to a historic victory.

Post Kavem Hodge's (55) wicket, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud and Naihid Rana ran through the West Indian tail to register a historic win for Bangladesh.

A stand at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata will soon be named after India's legendary fast bowler Jhulan Goswami. 

According to ICC, the Block B Gallery of Eden Gardens will be renamed in her honor. This stand will be inaugurated during the Indian women's team's first T20I match against England on January 22 next year.

Also Read: 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup stats: Most Wickets and Everything

Stands have also been built at Eden Gardens in the names of former Indian captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, former Indian cricketer Pankaj Roy, and former BCCI presidents Jagmohan Dalmiya and Biswanath Dutt.

Highest wicket-taker in women's ODI

Jhulan Goswami retired two years ago after an illustrious 20-year career with the Indian women's team. She was considered one of the best fast bowlers in women's cricket. Her career is still reflected in the impressive record that she maintains even after her retirement. Goswami holds the record for taking the highest number of wickets (255) in women's ODI.

Jhulan Goswami ended her career after appearing in 12 Tests, 204 ODIs and 68 T20Is and taking 355 wickets across all formats. In the women's Test format, Goswami has taken 44 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 17.36 and an economy of 2.02.

Goswami has 56 wickets to her name in the women's T20I format, with an average of 21.94 and an economy of 5.45. In the ODI format, she has taken 255 wickets in 204 matches at an average of 22.04.

Also Read: All the ICC Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup winners

Working as bowling coach of MI

The 41-year-old Goswami is currently working as the bowling coach and mentor of the Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League (WPL), which won the inaugural season of the league. Earlier this year, Goswami was the team mentor at the Women's Caribbean Premier League franchise Trinbago Knight Riders. 

After retirement, Goswami has worked as a mentor for the senior Bengal women's team and has also been involved in the Women's Premier League.

The Indian Men's Cricket Team have already lost their series to New Zealand after losing the first two tests. With that, India's home test series wins ended. However, India still tops the list with 18 home series wins.

The 18th win came against Bangladesh after a 2-0 whitewash against them.

Here's the list of the top five teams with the most consecutive Test series wins at home

India leads the chart with 18 series wins, followed by Australia twice in the list, having 10 wins each time. 

New Zealand | 8

New Zealand, standing 5th in the table, has 8 home series wins to their name. Starting from December 2017 to January 2021. The team led by Kane Williamson had a perfect combination with the likes of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Ross Taylor, perfectly complementing the spin-friendly pitches, allowing the team to capitalize on the home advantage.

West Indies | 8

Once a terror in World Cricket, the time span of West Indian dominance in test cricket clearly defines the legacy of the team.

The Clive Lloyd-led team, having shoulders of greats like Viv Richards and bowling legend Malcolm Marshall, had its winning streak of 8 series at home from March 1976 to February 1986.

Australia | 10 each

Another ruling team in World Cricket that successfully carried forward their once-created legacy is Australia. Australia is in the chart twice, having 10 consecutive home series wins.

The first phase started from October 1994 to November 2000. A little gap in between, and then the winning streak continued from July 2004 to November 2008.

India | 18

After the Kanpur test win against Bangladesh, for the first time after 92 years of Test cricket history, India had more test wins than losses.

Not only that, India's series winning streak at home increased to 18, making it an undisputed contender amongst the world giants.

After the 8 wickets defeat against New Zealand in the first test, India needs to win 5 out of seven tests to qualify for the World Test Championship final.

India is currently playing the second test against New Zealand at the Mumbai Cricket Association, where New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat first.

Even after the defeat in the first test, India is enjoying the top position in the World Test Championship points table, with 68.06%.

However, New Zealand has moved up to fourth with 44.44%, creating additional pressure for India to perform well in the remaining fixtures.

India’s Road to Qualification

To ensure a place in the WTC final, the two-time runners-up India needs to win 5 out of 7 test matches. However, four wins will make them depend on the performance of other teams.

The remaining two matches in the 3-match test series against New Zealand are crucial, as they need to win to ease their way to the final, as India will face Australia in the next series.

India will tour Australia for the highly anticipated 5-match Border-Gavaskar-Trophy test series. Australia right now is in the second position with 62.50%.

Australia's performance against strong contenders will heavily impact the final standings.

Competition from Other Contenders

Australia, like India, needs four out of seven tests to qualify for the final. However, India must also keep an eye on South Africa and New Zealand, who are both vying for a top-two finish.

South Africa right now sits in the fourth position with 47.62%, with a chance to reach 69.44%. All they need to do is win at least 4 of their 5 remaining tests. Winning all of them, however, won't put them in the calculator situation.

🚨 WTC Final Alert:

With South Africa's win in Mirpur, 3 wins aren't enough for India now!

The race for the finals just got intense. Every match counts! 🇮🇳🏏#WTC2023 #Cricket #INDvNZ #rohitsharma #PatCummins #WTC #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/w74FOwdfBp

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) October 24, 2024

New Zealand too shares the same situation with the proteas. They will have to win all five of the remaining test series to hope for qualification. A dominant win against India in the first test may boost their confidence, as all the leftover tests are against India (two away remaining and three at home)

England, on the other hand, is in the sixth position with 43.06% and can only finish with a maximum of 60%. That means they will have to depend on the performance of other teams to qualify.

Read Also: ICC confirm venue and dates for World Test Championship 2025 final

Other Teams in the table

Teams like Pakistan, West Indies, and Bangladesh have already been eliminated from contention, as they cannot breach the 50% mark even if they win all their remaining matches.

Latest updated World Test Championship points table

The ICC Women's T20I World Cup was inaugurated in 2009. The top 10 teams participate in the tournament. Initially, eight teams participated, but the team count increased to 10 with days.

So far, 9 editions have been successfully conducted, with Australia winning 6 times in it.

The other three teams who turned out to be the winners are England, West Indies, and New Zealand.

Read Also: India's performance in every Women's T20 World Cup

Here is a summary of the winner since its inaugural version in 2009.

1| Australia

Australia has been the most dominating force in the World Cups, be it any format. A 5-time ICC Women's ODI World Cup Champion, Australia has won the ICC Women's T-20 World Cup six times.

An unprecedented exit from the 2024 Women's World Cup doesn't undermine the capabilities this team holds.

Here are the years Australia won their title.

2010—the maiden title

Led by  Alex Blackwell, Australia won its maiden title in the ICC Women's T20I World Cup, hosted by West Indies.

They remained undefeated throughout the tournament. In the semi-final, they defeated India by seven wickets. 

In a thrilling final, they edged past New Zealand by three runs. Ellyse Perry's 3/18 earned her Player of the Match.

2012—defended the title

Hosted by Sri Lanka, Australia defended their title there in 2012 under Jodie Fields. 

After finishing second in the group, they beat the West Indies women by 28 runs in the semi-final.

They defeated England by four runs in the final, with Julie Hunter taking the most wickets (11) in the tournament.

2014—third consecutive title

In 2014, Bangladesh hosted the tournament. Meg Lanning led Australia to a third consecutive Women’s T20 World Cup title.

Even though they lost their opening match, they bounced back to win five straight. They defeated the West Indies in the semi-final, defeating England in the final.

Lanning topped the run charts with 257 runs.

2018—title reclaimed

West Indies hosted the World Cup for the second time, with Australia winning it again in 2018.

Led by Meg Lanning, Australia won three group games but lost to India. However, they bounced back, defeating the West Indies by 71 runs in the semi-final and England by eight wickets in the final.

Ashleigh Gardner shone with 3/22 and 33 runs in the final.

2020—Win at home

Hosted by Australia itself, the team clinched their fifth title. Even though they suffered a shocking defeat against India, they went on to win the rest of the matches.

This included a narrow 5-run win against South Africa in the semi-final and a massive 85-run win against India at the MCG.

Beth Mooney (259 runs) won Player of the Tournament, with Megan Schutt taking 13 wickets.

2023—sixth title

In 2023, Australia won their sixth ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title in South Africa, remaining undefeated.

They defeated India in the semi-final and South Africa by 19 runs in the final.

Beth Mooney’s 74* sealed the victory, and Ashleigh Gardner was Player of the Tournament.

2| England

England hosted the inaugural ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2009. The hosts dominated the tournament, defeating New Zealand by six wickets.

Led by Charlotte Edwards, England maintained an unbeaten streak in the group stage and defeated Australia in the semi-final.

Claire Taylor was named Player of the Tournament for her impressive 199 runs in five innings. Captain Edwards also shone, earning two Player of the Match awards.

3| West Indies

In 2016, India hosted the World Cup, seeing West Indies win its maiden title. 

They ended Australia's winning streak by defeating them in the final by 8 wickets.

Led by captain Stafanie Taylor, the West Indies sealed a historic win with the captain leading from the front. Taylor scored 246 runs and took eight wickets, earning the Player of the Tournament award. 

In the final, Hayley Matthews played a crucial role, scoring a match-winning 66 off 45 balls, helping the West Indies chase down Australia’s total. 

4| New Zealand

The 2024 edition of the tournament, which was supposed to be organized in Bangladesh, was shifted to the United Arab Emirates due to the political unrest in the former.

New Zealand won their maiden ICC Women's T20 World Cup Trophy title in 2024, defeating South Africa in the final after defending 158/5.

Amelia Kerr, who took 15 wickets, was named Player of the Tournament.