Jubilant Netherlands secure ODI World Cup ticket

Netherlands have qualified for the ODI World Cup in India later this year after beating Scotland in Bulawayo by six wickets. They sealed qualification with a stunning win spearheaded by Bas de Leede, who smashed 123 off 92 balls, to take the team to the 50-over World Cup for the first time since 2011.

It seemed an uphill task for the Netherlands, who needed to win by a comprehensive enough margin to overhaul Scotland's superior net run rate. Scotland were inserted into bat and scored 277 thanks to a century by Brandon McMullen, leaving the Dutch requiring 278 in 44 overs to qualify.

While Scott Edwards' side appeared on track for victory through the chase, reaching the target within that threshold looked unlikely. However, needing 45 off the last four overs, talisman de Leede, instrumental to the chase, shot through the gears in an astonishing onslaught, smashing four of the five sixes that Netherlands hit off the next two overs. Those overs saw 42 runs scored, and all of a sudden, the qualification that looked a distant dream was suddenly a foregone conclusion. De Leede was run out just before the winning runs were hit, but the Netherlands got home with seven balls to spare.

That means Netherlands and Sri Lanka will go through to the final of the Qualifier, as well as to the World Cup proper. Regardless of the result in the final, the Netherlands go through as Q1, and Sri Lanka as Q2. The Netherlands are the only Associate side to qualify for the World Cup since the tournament shrunk to include just 10 teams.

The final will be played on Sunday in Harare.