The Netherlands pulled off the biggest shock of the ICC T20 World Cup by upsetting South Africa by 13 runs in their final Super 12 Group 2 match on Sunday at Adelaide Oval, sending Temba Bavuma's team packing.
Due to their failure to qualify for the UAE tournament in 2021, India now has a guaranteed spot in the last four, even if they lose their final Super 12 game against Zimbabwe later on Sunday.
Pakistan and Bangladesh now have a chance to win the second semifinal spot from Group 2 thanks to South Africa's defeat. The two teams, who are tied for fourth place, will play each other later on Sunday, with the winner advancing to the semifinal.
The Proteas were eliminated from semifinal contention by the Dutch, who had just pulled off one of the biggest upsets in ICC Men's T20 World Cup history.
The Netherlands had many heroes on their team as they outscored the Proteas by 13 runs while successfully defending their modest total of 158/4.
Inexperienced seamer Brandon Glover (3/9) was excellent with the ball, and Roelof van der Merwe, 37, made a catch that might have been the best of the competition to get rid of the dangerous David Miller.
Bas de Leede (2/25) was given the task of bowling the final over after South Africa failed to score the 26 runs needed from the final six deliveries to secure victory despite his strong bowling performance.
If South Africa thought they would easily win this semifinal game and earn a semifinal spot, they were seriously mistaken. The Netherlands kept the pressure on their more favourably favoured opponent the entire time.
Anrich Nortje (1/10) and Keshav Maharaj (2/27) had superb ball control, but Colin Ackermann's late hitting (41 from just 26 deliveries) provided the Proteas a respectable total to try and chase down. And that total proved to be too high; no South African batter was able to score more than 25 runs in response, leading to one of the biggest upsets in T20 World Cup history for the Netherlands.
The Netherlands' final over of their innings saw Colin Ackermann hit two extras for two runs, pushing their total above 150 and complicating the Proteas' chase.
The Netherlands' victory tightens the competition in Group 2, putting Pakistan and Bangladesh in the running for a semifinal spot. The winner of their match in Adelaide will advance past South Africa and clinch a top-two spot.
The Netherlands' heroics will also inspire India, since Rohit Sharma's team will automatically advance to the final four as a result of the surprise victory.
Brief scores: Netherlands 158/4 in 20 overs (Stephan Myburgh 37, Max O'Dowd 29, Tom Cooper 35, Colin Ackermann 41 not out) beat South Africa 145/8 in 20 overs (Rilee Rossouw 25; Fred Klaassen 2/20, Brandon Glover 3/9, Bas de Leede 2/25) by 13 runs.