ESPNcricinfo Awards 2023 Associate batting winner: Bas de Leede races the clock

123 vs Scotland, World Cup Qualifier, Bulawayo
In what could be called a "Basball" performance, de Leede almost singlehandedly propelled Netherlands to the 2023 ODI World Cup. He took a five-wicket haul in the first innings, but Scotland still managed to reach 277 for 9 from their 50 overs. For Netherlands to go past Scotland's net run rate and qualify for the main event in India, they needed to achieve the target in 44 overs.

Be that as it may, they didn't exactly fly away in the chase, and even de Leede, who came in at No. 4, took his time settling in. His first 20 runs took 33 balls before he raised the tempo to reach 50 off 55.

While they were always on track to get to the target, the question was if they could get it inside 44 overs. Had Netherlands miscalculated their chase? Should they have promoted the in-form Logan van Beek up the order? De Leede put all these questions to bed rather quickly as he scorched his way past a century off 85 balls. By the time he was run-out, Netherlands needed two runs off ten balls to qualify on the basis of net run rate.

Key moment

When Netherlands needed 45 from four overs, de Leede decided to cut loose, smashing his next nine balls for 6, 6, 1, 2, 6, 2, 2, 6, 2 to change the state of the game.

1 Number of ODI hundreds de Leede has made.

3 Where de Leede's 123 stands on the list of highest scores for Netherlands in ODIs.

34 Number of runs scored by de Leede off the ten balls before he got out.

"We had a look at the target where we wanted to be at the halfway point, and I think from there comes the point where you stop talking about it, and actually do it."
- Bas de Leede

Logan van Beek
28 and 30 not out vs West Indies, ODI World Cup Qualifier, Harare
Netherlands were chasing a mammoth 375 and van Beek entered the fray with 50 needed off 26 balls. He took Roston Chase for two fours and a six in the 49th over to help Netherlands enter the final over needing nine to win, and when the innings ended on a tie, he returned to bat in the Super Over, whacking Jason Holder for three fours and three sixes. In reply, West Indies could only manage only eight runs and they failed to qualify for the ODI World Cup for the first time in their history.