South Africa have won the toss and have opted to field

14:16 Local Time, 08:46 GMT, 14:16 IST: Our correspondent, Telford Vice, reports from the venue - still gloomy, but toss at 2.30pm, start at 3pm.

13:51 Local Time, 08:21 GMT, 13:51 IST: Oh no! The rain has returned and the covers are being put back in place.

13:43 Local Time, 08:13 GMT, 13:43 IST: Some more good news! The toss will take place at 2pm local time and the game is set to begin at 2:30pm local time.

David Miller: We did struggle in the first two games and managed to dig deep. We played good cricket and continued that blueprint. It’s finding confidence witihin each other, a lot of indivduals are doing well at different phases. Two big games and hopefully, the rain stays way. We have spoken about being bold and courageous and we have done that for some time now. The guys at the top are batting beautifully and laying a solid foundation for the midde order. The bowlers are also bowling well.

Some of the South African players are playing football near the boundary ropes while some of the Dutch players are having a chat among themselves.

13:27 Local Time, 07:57 GMT, 13:27 IST: The live visuals show that the main pitch is still covered.

13:18 Local Time, 07:48 GMT, 13:18 IST: We have some good news, folks! The covers are being peeled off.

Weather watch: There's a bit of rain around and the pitch is covered at present. There's been snowfall in Dharamsala recently as well and when the players and team staff from both sides came out of the bus, we could see them wearing jackets. There’ve been light rain showers in the last couple of days and the radar shows a possibility of a few showers as the day progresses as well. Let’s hope the weather holds up.

The fact that Netherlands had shocked South Africa in the 2022 T20 World Cup and knocked them out of the tournament will act as a morale-booster for them. However, ODI cricket requires a different set of skills and is a different kettle of fish altogether. When these teams played two ODIs earlier this year, the Proteas humbled the Dutch by massive margins of 8 wickets and 146 runs. It will require something special from the Netherlands to stop the Proteas’ juggernaut. Cricket is a game of uncertainties though and only a pessimist would rule out the possibility of an upset. Who would have thought that Afghanistan would dismantle England, the defending champions? It’s this uncertainty which keeps the true lovers of the game in high spirits! Toss and team lineups will be announced shortly…

12:45 Local Time, 07:15 GMT: The World Cup is in full flow and we have got to witness some pulsating cricketing action already. Today, high-flying South Africa will be taking on the bottom-placed Netherlands in the picturesque ground of Dharamsala and we welcome you to our live coverage. South Africa are in red-hot form in ODIs, having won their last five matches on the trot. Their batters are in blazing form while there’s an abundance of penetrative ability in their bowlers too. Quinton de Kock is playing his last ODI World Cup and has already hit two centuries in a row. The Proteas have won their opening two games comprehensively and everything is working like a charm for them! On the other hand, Netherlands have shown sparks of brilliance in their two matches but haven’t been able to maintain it for prolonged periods. They are yet to get off the mark in the tournament and as Colin Ackermann observed after their match against New Zealand, they need to put together all three phases of the game.

Preview by Telford Vice

Dharamsala wasn't ready for its close-up on Monday. Rain, fuelled by a wild wind and snow on the bleakly brooding Dhauladhar mountains, part of the Middle Himalayas, had been falling hard enough to wake the sleeping from soon after the sun had risen behind a curtain of clouds. All of 31 millimetres was predicted to soak these famous peaks and valleys before the day was out, with another 8.2 millimetres forecast for Tuesday afternoon.

Consequently one of the most enthusiastically photographed grounds in cricket seemed in need of dark glasses, a headscarf and men in black suits to protect it from the paparazzi. Outside the main entrance a large ICC banner proclaiming the presence here of the men's World Cup had been shredded by the elements. Inside, even though two matches had been played here in the tournament, workers were apparently putting the place back together. Unlike most views of Dharamsala, it was not a pretty sight.

As beautiful as depictions are of this special place almost as far from Mount Everest as it is from the Arabian Sea, to be in it, to breathe its sharp air and feel its coolth on the skin, is to challenge the laws of cruel nature. Daring to exist here as a sentient being is a harsh way to live.

Doubtless that will apply for the match between South Africa and the Netherlands on Tuesday, and for those watching more than for those playing. But the spectators will know that already. The teams, although they have trained in these conditions in the past days having come from warmer climes, are in for a rude awakening. And, for one of them, not only in a meteorological sense.

The South Africans have swooped into Dharamsala on the wings of victories over Sri Lanka and Australia. Another win and they will have to make a right mess of things to not reach the semifinals. The Dutch have lost to Pakistan and New Zealand. Another loss and the bubble of bliss they entered by qualifying for the tournament ahead of West Indies and Zimbabwe in July will burst with a bang.

All things considered, the first outcome is exponentially more likely than the second. South Africa have the look of a settled side who have taken a firmer grip on their many strengths and few weaknesses than most. So Temba Bavuma can be forgiven for bristling ever so politely at a question during his press conference on Monday that harked back to his team's shock defeat by the Dutch in the T20 World Cup in Australia in November.

"That was a T20 World Cup, it's a 50-over World Cup now," Bavuma said. "It's a different format and a different ask in terms of your skills; being able to perform your skills for a longer period of time. That's something we all need to appreciate."

To reinforce his point he reminded all present that South Africa had hammered the Netherlands by eight wickets and 146 runs in two ODIs on the Highveld in March and April. If nature's cruelty stays away for long enough on Tuesday, and his team play like they have, he won't be asked that question again.

When: October 17, 2023 at 14:00 IST

Where: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

What to expect: Mountain views and quirky architecture, a cabbage patch of an outfield - a properly small outfield - and a pitch that prompts even non-Asian teams to pick more than one spinner but that also rewards the quicks. And rain, although not enough, according to the forecast, to derail the match entirely.

Teams

South Africa

Given the combination of the dimensions of the outfield and the expected weather, maybe a second spinner isn't a good idea. The South Africans might also want to unleash their full fast bowling power ahead of the bigger games to come, if only to remember where their bowling bread is buttered. Thus Gerald Coetzee could return at the expense of Tabraiz Shamsi.

Tactics & strategy: If they bat first and use all their overs, a total in excess of 400 is a distinct possibility. It isn't often a South African team arrives at a tournament tipped as a batting threat, and even less often that they fulfill that promise.

But, having registered four centuries in their first two matches - two by the white-hot Quinton de Kock - there is no doubt South Africa's line-up is feared. Not the least of the upsides is that that takes some of the pressure off an attack that is without key members. Sisanda Magala, for instance - who is out with a knee injury - took 8/80 in two ODIs against the Dutch in South Africa in March and April.

Probable XI: Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi

Netherlands

There were no happier cricketers on the planet than the Dutch when they nailed down one of the last two places at the World Cup at the qualifiers in Zimbabwe in June and July. Now that they've lost to Pakistan and New Zealand at the main event, the smiles have no doubt faded. There's quality in their ranks and levels of planning and belief that could teach other teams a lesson, but it's difficult to imagine them leaving this tournament with good memories.

Tactics & strategy: The Netherlands' results don't make for good reading, but Vikramjit Singh, Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann have scored half-centuries and de Leede took 4/62 against Pakistan. Improving will mean putting more performances like those together in one match.

As the South Africans know only too well, the Dutch have more than enough skill and grit to beat the best. But that's more easily done in T20Is. There are fewer places to hide their limitations in this format.

Probable XI: Vikramjit Singh, Max O'Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards (C), Sybrand Engelbrecht, Roelof van der Merwe, Ryan Klein, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren

Did you know?

- Teams batting second have won four of the six completed ODIs at this ground, and in the two they've lost they have been asked to overhaul the biggest totals made in Dharamsala: 364/9 and 330/6.

- Quinton de Kock, South Africa's leading batter at this tournament, averages a measly 8.5 in ODIs against the Dutch, albeit he has had just two innings against them.

- Since 2021, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen all average above 50 in overs 11 to 40 in ODIs, as does Vikramjit Singh.

What they said:

"We'll just keep doing what we're doing. Against the Netherlands, nothing will be different. We'll assess conditions and play accordingly. The important thing is that we keep getting better and use that momentum." - Temba Bavuma offers an even straighter bat than he does at the crease.

"We've played some good cricket in patches. We just haven't put together enough phases where we dominate. We need to put together all three phases of the game to win." - Colin Ackermann has the theory down pat, now to put it into practice.

Squads:

South Africa Squad: Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lizaad Williams, Reeza Hendricks, Andile Phehlukwayo, Gerald Coetzee

Netherlands Squad: Vikramjit Singh, Max ODowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards(w/c), Sybrand Engelbrecht, Roelof van der Merwe, Ryan Klein, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren, Wesley Barresi, Logan van Beek, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad