A horrible performance on a filthy night ended with England suffering their greatest embarrassment in one-day cricket. When Paul Collingwood described the 20-overs format as a levelling force, he anticipated his own side climbing towards the likes of Australia and India rather than slipping to the Netherlands’ level.

The men in orange were full value for the success that leaves England facing elimination at the first stage of the World Twenty20, the biggest one-day tournament in this country for a decade. Only in the very final minutes did the Dutch show signs of panic; otherwise, they played with a freedom altogether missing from England.

Despite the very best efforts of Stuart Broad in the final over, a series of full, fast and straight balls were not enough to prevent Ryan ten Doeschate, the Essex player, and Edgar Schiferli from scoring the seven runs required. With two needed from the last ball, Broad could have run out Schiferli at the bowler’s end, but his throw missed the stumps and with no one backing up, the seventh-wicket pair scrambled the winning run.

For much of the Dutch innings, it seemed that victory would be secured with time to spare and England, without Kevin Pietersen because of a recurrence of his Achilles injury, were left to rue their own effort, which petered out alarmingly after a first-wicket stand of 102 in 12 overs between Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright.

Defeat by Pakistan at the Brit Oval tomorrow will mean that England go out, but even victory will leave their fate resting on the result of the final game, between Netherlands and Pakistan. The only remotely comparable loss came against Zimbabwe at the 1992 World Cup when they were famously undone by Eddo Brandes, a chicken farmer.

The outcome last night, in front of a 25,000 crowd including about 1,000 in Dutch colours, itself evoked memories of 1989 when Netherlands beat England on a matting pitch in Amsterdam. England had arrived that same morning and the contest was part of a low-key tour. There were no similar excuses this time.

Jeroen Smits, the Netherlands captain, was a teenage member of the squad back then and had said on Thursday afternoon that his side felt that there was a point to prove to the ECB, having been removed from the Friends Provident Trophy after the 2005 season.

As Bopara continued his fine form and Wright built on his unbeaten 75 in the final warm-up against West Indies two days earlier, England appeared to be heading towards a total nearer 180. Yet only four more fours followed Bopara’s dismissal as Owais Shah, Eoin Morgan and Collingwood all failed to get on top of medium pace.

In contrast, Darron Reekers, a debt collector by trade, who will have encountered tougher opponents in his day job, hit two sixes in the first three overs and, when wickets fell, new batsmen simply continued in the same uninhibited fashion.

England knew that their specialist seam bowlers, operating at a pace rarely seen by the batsmen, could keep a tight grip, but medium pace proved far less challenging and Adil Rashid, on his senior international debut, found a wet ball difficult to grip. His selection ahead of Graeme Swann was puzzling.

Tom de Grooth played savagely as he crashed 49 from 30 balls, including a six against Broad into the pavilion. However, a high catch by Shah to remove Peter Borren looked decisive, and a fine eighteenth over by James Anderson gave England hope.

Broad matched his colleague at the death and will reflect on a number of chances to complete a run-out as Ten Doeschate and Schiferli tried desperately to connect with big hits. With a sharp return catch as well, he had four opportunities to take a wicket. But none was grabbed. The competition has been given a memorable start.

England
R S Bopara c Seelaar b Ten Doeschate 46
L J Wright c Borren b Ten Doeschate 71
O A Shah c Kervezee b Schiferli 5
E J G Morgan c Zuiderent b Borren 6
*P D Collingwood c Schiferli b Seelaar 11
R W T Key not out 10
† J S Foster not out 3
Extras (w 10) 10
Total (5 wkts, 20 overs) 162

A U Rashid, S C J Broad, J M Anderson and R J Sidebottom did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-102, 2-113, 3-127, 4-144, 5-153.

Bowling: Nannes 4-0-30-0; Schiferli 4-0-33-1; Ten Doeschate 4-0-35-2; Seelaar 4-0-33-1; Borren 4-0-31-1.

Netherlands
A N Kervezee c Broad b Anderson 1
D J Reekers c Shah b Broad 20
B Zuiderent st Foster b Rashid 12
T N de Grooth c Key b Collingwood 49
P W Borren c Shah b Anderson 30
R N ten Doeschate not out 22
D L S van Bunge c Wright b Anderson 8
E Schiferli not out 5
Extras (b 1, lb 13, w 2) 16
Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 163

* † J Smits, P M Seelaar and D P Nannes did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-23, 3-66, 4-116, 5-133, 6-146.

Bowling: Anderson 4-0-23-3; Sidebottom 4-0-23-0; Broad 4-0-32-1; Rashid 4-0-36-1; Wright 2-0-18-0; Collingwood 2-0-17-1.

Player of the match: De Grooth.

Umpires: S J Davis (Australia) and E A R de Silva (Sri Lanka).