Yeh toh wahi baat hai jab koi chhota bhai bade bhai ko patak deta hai! Par yeh match, jo 12 June 2025 ko Dundee ke Forthill ground pe khela gaya, sirf ek run chase nahi tha—yeh tha Netherlands ka cricket duniya ko dikhaane ka ek shandaar mauka. Max O’Dowd ne 158* run ki pichhli innings kheli, aur Scotland ke saare sapne tode. Yeh toh wahi kahani hai jab David ne Goliath ko haraaya tha, bas is baar cricket ke maidan pe!
Netherlands ka yeh chase, ODI history ka teesra sabse bada successful chase tha, sirf South Africa ke 438/9 (Australia ke khilaaf, 2006) aur England ke 364/4 (West Indies ke khilaaf, 2019) se peechhe. Yeh koi chhoti baat nahi hai—ek Associate nation, jise aksar bade teams ke saamne chhota samjha jaata hai, ne dikha diya ke unmein bhi dum hai. Scotland ne pehle batting ki aur Munsey ke 191 aur Matthew Cross ke 59 ki madad se 369/6 banaye. Munsey ka yeh score Paul Stirling ke 177 (Canada ke khilaaf, 2010) ko bhi peechhe chhod gaya. Par Netherlands ke bowlers, khaas kar Michael Levitt (2/42), ne thodi si control rakhi, warna score aur bhi bada ho sakta tha.
Chase mein, Netherlands ki shuruaat shandaar thi. O’Dowd aur Levitt ne 9.2 overs mein 67 run jode. Haan, thodi si uljhan hui jab Zach Lion-Cachet aur Scott Edwards out hue, aur team 168/4 pe aa gayi. Par yahan se O’Dowd ne Teja Nidamanuru (51 off 42) ke saath 111 run ki partnership karke match ko sambhala. Noah Croes ne bhi 29 balls mein 50 run banaye, aur aakhiri overs mein O’Dowd ne ek chhakka maar ke match khatam kiya—370 ka target, 49.2 overs mein, 4 wickets se jeet! Yeh jeet sirf numbers nahi, balki Netherlands ke jazbe ka pramaan hai.
Agar yaad karein, toh Netherlands ne pehle bhi aise chamatkaar kiye hain. 2023 mein, West Indies ke khilaaf 375 ka target chase kiya tha, jo tie hua aur Super Over mein jeet mili. Woh bhi ek record chase tha, par yeh Scotland wala chase unka sabse bada hai. Yeh team, jo aksar chhoti samjhi jaati hai, baar baar dikha rahi hai ke woh bade teams ke muqable mein kisi se kam nahi. Yaad hai 2003 World Cup mein, jab Zimbabwe ne England ko haraaya tha? Woh bhi ek aisa hi moment tha jab ek chhoti team ne duniya ko hila diya.
Scotland ke liye yeh haar dil todne wali thi, par unka effort bhi kam nahi tha. Munsey ka 191 toh ek masterpiece tha, aur Cross ke 59 ne unhe ek bada total diya. Par cricket mein, kabhi kabhi ek hero ke saamne doosra hero aa jata hai, aur is baar O’Dowd ne unka rang phika kar diya. Yeh match bhi ek tarah se 2007 ke T20 World Cup ke uss match ki yaad dilaata hai jab Yuvraj Singh ne 6 chhakke maare the—ek player ka domination poore match ko badal deta hai.
Ab thoda sa sochiye, Netherlands jaise team ke liye yeh jeet kitni badi hai. Jab bade teams jaise India ya Australia khelte hain, toh unke paas resources, sponsors, aur duniya bhar ke fans hote hain. Par Netherlands? Unke paas sirf jazba aur kuch talented players hain. O’Dowd, Edwards, aur Nidamanuru jaise players ne dikha diya ke bade budgets ke bina bhi bade sapne poore kiye ja sakte hain. Yeh jeet un sab fans ke liye hai jo chhoti teams ko support karte hain, jo har match mein ek nayi kahani sunna chahte hain.
Lekin, thodi si khundak bhi hai. Yeh match itna shandaar tha, par kitne log iske baare mein baat karenge? Agar yeh India ya England ka match hota, toh shayad headlines mein chhaya rehta. Netherlands aur Scotland ke matches aksar chhote news columns mein simat jaate hain. Kya yeh fair hai? Shayaad nahi. Par jo bhi ho, Netherlands ne apna naam cricket ke itihas mein likh diya hai, aur yeh kahani humesha yaad rahegi—chahe media isse kitna bhi chhota kyon na kare.
