Netherlands 362 for 7 (Bikramjit 110, Barresi 97, Bilal 3-75) beat Oman 246 for 6 (Ayaan 105*, Shoaib 46, Dutt 3-31) by 74 runs on the DLS method

Ayaan was at the crease when bad light brought play to an early close with Oman on 246 for 6, 44 overs into the chase. Having elected to bat and scored 362 for 7 in a 48-over game, the Dutch had needed to restrict Oman to 242 to ensure their NRR went above that of Scotland. This would have been crucial in the event of three-way tie for second place.

That can only transpire if Scotland beat Zimbabwe tomorrow, and the Netherlands then beat Scotland themselves. As things stand, even if Scotland secure a win tomorrow, the Dutch need to the beat Scotland by a big enough margin to leapfrog them on NRR. Any result but a Scotland win tomorrow sees the Dutch eliminated.

Their bowlers then gave them a dream start reducing Oman to 4 for 102, only for Ayaan and Shoaib to come together for their defiant stand, one which would have been particularly disappointing seeing that Ayaan had been dropped three times - on 12, 20 and 33 - over the course of his innings. While all three were of varying difficulty, the fact that none were taken would have stung.

That wasn't to take away from Ayaan's knock though, which encompassed 11 fours and two sixes - one a sumptuous lofted straight drive, and the other a powerful pick-up over long-on. His control percentage of 77% however highlights another area in where the Dutch might have felt a touch unfortunate, with several mishits falling safe.

Though where Oman really lost the game was in the field, conceding 36 extras in total, inclusive of 23 wides. In a game shortened by two overs a side, Oman gave away nearly four extra overs. This came alongside a poor ground fielding effort in which the several easy singles and twos were given away - all of which would add up.

Credit however must be given to the Dutch, who have set the benchmark across the entire tournament in terms of their running between the wickets. Against Sri Lanka, a much better fielding unit, this aggression was sometimes to their detriment, but against Oman every inch that could be gained was.

It was the foundation of an innings that never really slowed down, starting with a 117-run opening stand off 132 deliveries and culminating in that devastating death overs assault. In between there was the Singh-Barresi stand for 80 off 72, and then when Singh fell shortly after reaching his century, Barresi would up the ante in successive stands of 30, 55 and 57 with Scott Edwards, de Leede and Zulfiqar respectively.

No bowler had a strike rate of less than a 100 against him, though he took a particular liking to the spin of Aaqib Ilyas - stand-in skipper for the injured Zeeshan Maqsood - and Ayaan, taking the former for two sixes over cow corner and the latter for a flat smote over long-off. His 97 came off just 65 deliveries, inclusive of 10 fours and three sixes.

The Dutch played the game state well too, promoting both de Leede and Zulfiqar above Teja Nidamanuru when quick runs were the order of the day. The pair would score a combined 72 between them off just 36 deliveries. While that was enough to keep them in with chance of qualification, now they need to hope Scotland do their part tomorrow.