Published: September 2, 2026 at 11:57 am
Rotterdam Dockers held their nerve in a dramatic finish to defeat Glasgow Cosmic by five wickets, chasing down 141 with just one ball remaining in Match 9 of the ETPL at Sportpark Westvliet, The Hague, Netherlands, on Tuesday.
“A little bit nervous on whether you’re going to get over the line. You call that a squeaky bum? Squeaky bum across the line. But strangely, you get those games in tournaments where you’ve just got to find a way to get across. And you look back at a competition, and there were those games, whether you come on the right side or the wrong side. These games are generally the ones that get you through to the knockout. So, it’s a really good win for us. Yeah, it wasn’t an easy surface. Slow, very slow. So, I think obviously we didn’t expect it to be that slow, looking at the other games before it. The wicket was actually quite nice. So maybe the fact that it is, you know, game five or six or whatever, it just got really slow,” said Rotterdam skipper Faf du Plessis after the game.
Liam Livingstone produced a crucial 54 from 39 balls, providing the stability Glasgow needed after the early wickets. His innings became increasingly aggressive towards the death, with Livingstone striking three sixes in the final two overs to push the Cosmic towards a competitive total
Having won the toss, Rotterdam skipper Faf du Plessis elected to bowl first, and the decision was rewarded with regular breakthroughs as Glasgow struggled to build sustained partnerships. The Cosmic lost four wickets for just 43 runs inside eight overs, leaving them in danger of being restricted to a modest total.
Jason Roy (22), skipper George Munsey (14), Richie Berrington (0) and Matthew Cross (1) perished without much ado. Liam Livingstone, however, changed the complexion of the innings.
The England all-rounder produced a crucial 54 from 39 balls, providing the stability Glasgow needed after the early wickets. His innings became increasingly aggressive towards the death, with Livingstone striking three sixes in the final two overs to push the Cosmic towards a competitive total.
Anrich Nortje was Rotterdam’s standout bowler, claiming 3 for 20 from his four overs
Anrich Nortje was Rotterdam’s standout bowler, claiming 3 for 20 from his four overs, while David Wiese also picked up three wickets for 29 runs. Their combined effort kept Glasgow from accelerating freely, with the Cosmic eventually posting 140 for nine from their 20 overs.
The target of 141 appeared within reach, but Rotterdam’s chase was anything but straightforward.
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They lost Faf du Plessis (4) quite cheaply but Michael Levitt (37) and Vikramjit Singh (24) steadied the boat with a 42-run partnership before both perished in quick succession. Heinrich Klaasen (11) to fell with the score reading 97.
The Dockers were forced to absorb pressure at regular intervals as Glasgow’s bowlers kept finding ways to break partnerships. With the required rate continuing to hover around a run a ball, Rotterdam needed composure as much as attacking intent.
Michael Levitt scored 37 to give the Rotterdam Dockers’ innings the much-needed momentum at the top of the order
Ben McDermott provided an important contribution in the middle order, scoring an unbeaten 37 from 24 balls at a strike rate of 154.16, helping keep the chase on course during a tense passage of play and that earned him the player of the match award.
Wiese does the trick for Rotterdam
The final stages turned the chase into a nail-biting finish. Lungi Ngidi produced a superb 19th over for Glasgow, conceding just two runs while also claiming a wicket, leaving Rotterdam under immense pressure heading into the final over. With the Dockers needing nine runs from the last six deliveries, the Cosmic suddenly had a genuine chance of forcing the match into a dramatic finish.
Rotterdam, however, found the crucial runs when it mattered most. With the equation still alive until the final moments, the Dockers held their nerve just long enough to cross the line with one ball remaining, completing a five-wicket victory at 141/5 in 19.5 overs.
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Needing nine runs of the last six balls, McDermott and David Wiese (7 not out) got three of three balls before Wiese decided to put an end to the drama. He struck Ali Khan’s fourth ball for a boundary and then took a brace off the fifth ball to complete the victory.
For Glasgow, Livingstone’s half-century had provided the innings with its backbone, while their bowlers repeatedly kept Rotterdam under pressure. But the Dockers’ ability to stay composed during the final overs ultimately proved decisive.
For Rotterdam, the victory adds another important result to their campaign and reinforces their ability to win tight contests. After securing their opening victory against Amsterdam Flames and sharing the points with Belfast Wolves in their second fixture, the Dockers have now produced another finish under pressure.
David Wiese took picked up three wickets for 29 runs and then returned to score an invaluable 7 not out including a boundary in the final over of the game
The match had everything a close T20 contest includes wickets at regular intervals, a counter attacking half century, pressure through the middle overs and a chase that went down to the final two deliveries. With two balls remaining and two runs still needed, Rotterdam Dockers sealed a thrilling victory on the penultimate ball.
“It’s difficult to unpack these sorts of close games, but I thought it was a really good game of cricket. I think we were chasing it there, and I think some of the boys bowled extremely well. I thought the way Naylor handled himself on debut, the way he batted and bowled there when we were under pressure, was excellent. I think the wicket’s been pretty tough to start on in the powerplay, and with the score on the board, we built pressure. I think we did that really well. We just didn’t quite get the wickets at the right time to have enough pressure there at the end, and probably a few tactical errors on my part just let the game away a bit. I think we went with the aggressive options at all times, and that’s the way I want to play my cricket, and that’s the way I’ve asked the boys to play cricket. So, we took some brave decisions there, and it didn’t quite go our way today,” said Glasgow skipper George Munsey.
Brief scores: Glasgow Cosmic 140 for nine in 20 overs (Jason Roy 22, Liam Livingstone 54, Liam Naylor 26; David Weise 3/29, Anrich Nortje 3/20, Roelof van der Merwe 2/24) lost to Rotterdam Dockers 141 for five in 19.5 overs (Michael Levitt 37, Vikramjit Singh 24, Ben McDermott 37 not out; Paul van Meekeren 3/21).
