New Delhi, Feb 9 (NationPress) Netherlands opener Max O'Dowd has stated that he has moved past the dropped catch of Faheem Ashraf that significantly impacted his team's close three-wicket loss to Pakistan in the Men's T20 World Cup opener. He noted that Indian fans were more upset about the mishap than those in the Netherlands.

At the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo, O'Dowd missed catching Pakistan’s seam-bowling all-rounder Ashraf in the crucial final overs, leading to Ashraf's unbeaten 29 runs off just 11 balls, which secured the victory for the 2009 champions.

Shortly after the match, O'Dowd's social media accounts were filled with critical comments from Indian fans. "Of course, it’s disappointing to drop a catch. In the first couple of hours post-game, I felt let down, but honestly, it seems like most Indian fans were more furious than the Dutch crowd," O'Dowd shared with IANS, ahead of their Group A match against Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.

The Netherlands returns to a venue where many players competed during the 2023 ODI World Cup. "It’s a significant clash. This is our opportunity to bounce back. After a disappointing outcome against Pakistan, we’re eager for a win here in Delhi. We have familiarity with this high-scoring ground from our 2023 experience," O'Dowd stated.

In their match against Pakistan, the Dutch scored 147 but suffered a dramatic collapse from 105/4, falling short of a target of 160. The spinners of Pakistan tightened their grip, causing the Netherlands to lose their final seven wickets for just 42 runs.

"We discussed our batting performance as a group. We had a strong start and positioned ourselves well in the middle, but we made some incorrect decisions at critical moments and lost wickets in clusters, which hampered our progress," O'Dowd explained.

Despite the batting slump, O'Dowd commended his team’s bowling efforts, which had reduced Pakistan from 98/2 to 114/7 before Ashraf's late-game heroics.

"Honestly, that was the best I’ve seen us bowl in the middle period. If you asked any fan at halfway, they would have thought we were in a dominant position. Very few teams would recover from that situation as we did," he added.

With Group A also including USA and defending champions India, O'Dowd emphasized the necessity of a victory against Namibia to regain momentum. "This win is crucial. We’ve seen many close matches so far in the tournament. With Pakistan also facing Namibia, USA, and India, we have significant games ahead, including a tough finish against India in Ahmedabad. We must capitalize on these upcoming matches against Namibia and USA to set ourselves up for a strong finish," he said.

When asked about associate nations, including the USA and Nepal, pushing higher-ranked teams in the tournament's initial matches, O'Dowd remarked that such performances are not surprising to those who follow global cricket closely.

"To be honest, it’s not shocking to me. I've observed this for a long time. While the average cricket fan may be surprised, those who are well-informed recognize that the associates are not just there to play mediocre cricket. In T20, results can be unpredictable, and this shows that associates are growing stronger and closing the gap," O'Dowd concluded.