In what was one of the most memorable matches in the history of the Cricket World Cup, the Netherlands handed South Africa a shocking defeat at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday, October 17. And the architect of the Dutch’s famous win was their captain, Scott Edwards. Before we discuss Scott Edwards’ career stats in detail, however, let’s take a look at his role in the Netherlands’ recent exploits.
While the Netherlands began their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign with defeats in their opening two matches, South Africa was rampant in their first couple of games. Many experts started looking at the Proteas as potential title contenders after their performances in the opening phase of the campaign. It was with such a lopsided backdrop that the two sides faced each other in a Group Stage encounter.
Being put to bat first by South Africa, the Netherlands struggled to find their rhythm before Scott Edwards stepped out in the middle. The Dutch captain led by example as he notched up a half-century and, along with the lower-order batsmen, helped Netherlands reach a competitive total of 245 runs for the loss of eight wickets.
South Africa started the second innings on a positive note with Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock. However, the dismissal of de Kock in the eighth over was enough to hand the Netherlands the advantage. Owing to some inspired bowling changes and astute leadership by Scott Edwards, the Dutch managed to restrict South Africa to 207 runs and win the match to open their account in the points tally of the World Cup. This victory also marked the Netherlands’ first win against the Test-playing nation, and their third overall in the ODI World Cup’s history.
Because of his innings of 78 runs, Scott Edwards picked up the Player of the Match award at the end of the game. He also achieved the feat of becoming the only wicketkeeper-captain after Mahendra Singh Dhoni to win the Player of the Match award in an ODI World Cup. For the unversed, MS Dhoni won the Player of the Match award in the final of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, in which his knock of 91 runs off 79 deliveries (including a last-ball six) helped India win their second ODI World Cup title.
So, given the important role he played in the Netherlands’ upset win against South Africa, let’s take a look at Scott Edwards, his stats, records and other career highlights.
The Netherlands’ captain Scott Edwards’ career stats and highlights
His early days as a cricketer
Born in Tonga, Scott Edwards grew up in Australia’s Victoria where he attended the Emmaus College. He holds dual citizenship in Australia and the Netherlands since he qualified for the latter via his grandmother.
In Australia, Scott Edwards played club cricket for Richmond in Victorian Premier Cricket, a club cricket competition in the state of Victoria. He also played for Blackburn South Cricket Club and Highton Cricket Club. In Dutch club cricket, Edwards featured for Excelsior ’20.
Scott Edwards was selected to play for the Rotterdam Rhinos in the inaugural edition of the Euro T20 Slam cricket tournament in July 2019. For context, the Euro T20 Slam was a proposed Twenty-20 franchise-based cricket league slated to be contested in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. However, the tournament was called off in August 2019.
Edwards’ entry into the world of international cricket
In June 2018, Scott Edwards was named to the Netherlands’ T20 International squad for the 2018 Netherlands Tri-Nation Series. He made his international debut for the Netherlands against Ireland in a T20 International match on June 12, 2018.
The following month, Scott Edwards was named to the ODI squad of the Netherlands for their series at home against Nepal. He made his ODI debut for the Netherlands against Nepal on August 1, 2018.
Scott Edwards scripted the record for the fastest century and the highest individual score in a Ten-10 (T10) match at the 2019 European Cricket League in July 2019. In 39 deliveries, Edwards hit a mind-boggling 137 runs and remained unbeaten at the end of the innings.
Scott Edwards’ time as a senior pro in the Netherlands team
In May 2020, Scott Edwards was one of seventeen players named to the Netherlands’ senior squad. The following month, he was appointed as the captain of the Netherlands A team ahead of their match against the Ireland Wolves. Edwards also made it to the Dutch squad for the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, held in the UAE.
Scott Edwards scored three consecutive half-centuries in an ODI series against England in 2022 at the VRA Ground in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A month later, he reached the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier along with the Netherlands team after defeating the United States of America in the semi-final. The win ensured that the Netherlands feature in Round 1 of the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia later that year.
In the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, Scott Edwards led the Netherlands to the final of the tournament where they lost to Sri Lanka. However, the Dutch booked their spot in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 by virtue of being one of the top two teams of the qualifier.
(Main and Featured Images Credits: Courtesy Instagram/@Scott Edwards)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– What is Scott Edwards’ highest score?
Scott Edwards created the record for the fastest century and highest individual score in a T10 match at the 2019 European Cricket League by scoring 137 runs off 39 balls.
– What is Scott Edwards’ batting style?Â
Scott Edwards is a right-handed aggressive batsman.