In yet another low-scoring cracker in New York, the third time was the charm for the Proteas, as they finally got a win against the Netherlands in a crucial encounter.

Following a horror start to the chase of 104, the experienced David Miller batted through nearly the entirety of the second half and made a well-composed unbeaten 59 to take SA over the line.

It was a familiar beginning, as the Proteas seamers made early openings during the Powerplay. Marco Jansen got the wickets of Levitt and Singh, while Baartman sent back the dangerous O’Dowd cheaply.

However, ex-Cobras allrounder Sybrand Engelbrecht was the catalyst for hope for the Dutchmen. A solid 45-ball 40 in a nervous innings, with some handy support from Logan van Beek (23 from 22) drove the Netherlands past the 100 threshold. The Proteas lost a bit of control at the death, but three wickets in the final over for Baartman prevented any further leakage of runs.

The chase went south during the Powerplay. Quinton de Kock was run out without facing a delivery, Reeza Hendricks was bowled off a peach from van Beek, and skipper Aiden Markram was burgled down leg off Kingma.

To make matters worse, Heinrich Klaasen clothed a pull straight to deep square leg. At 12/4, the scenes were familiar for all the wrong reasons. However, Tristan Stubbs and David Miller dug in to arrest a further slide.

There were several moments of tension, but both players stuck to basics. It wasn’t until the 9th over when SA got their first boundary. And in the 12th over, Miller clubbed left-arm spinner Tim Pringle down the ground. Two overs later, Stubbs would follow suit after taking 29 balls to acclimatize.

This partnership added 65 runs, until an ill-advised pull shot from Stubbs brought about his downfall. For a moment, it looked like the hard work had been undone, but the required rate was back to around a run a ball. However, Logan van Beek returned to remove Marco Jansen.

But that would be the last glimmer of a possible comeback for the men in orange, as a determined Miller hit two sixes and a boundary in the penultimate over to seal the deal.

The Proteas are now 2 for 2, but not without any drama. This result will definitely be calming, but there are far bigger tasks at hand coming up. Stay tuned for the next game against Bangladesh on Monday.

NED 103/9 in 20 overs (Engelbrecht 40 – Baartman 4-0-11-4)

SA 106/6 in 18.5 overs (Miller 59*, Stubbs 33 – Kingma 4-1-12-2, van Beek 4-1-21-2)