Wednesday's pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi had produced over 600 runs in four innings, but its next-door neighbour proved much trickier for batting, and the Dutch total of 125 for nine, just enough to secure a four-run victory over Bermuda, was actually the highest of the day on this ground.

In a low-scoring match the margins for error are correspondingly tight, and the Bermudians fought hard enough to take this game right down to the wire, a hard-hitting cameo by Rodney Trott in the final overs bringing them to the brink of pulling off what would have been one of the tournament's bigger upsets so far.

But it was two performances from the men in orange which gave them a much-needed victory after the previous day's defeat by Afghanistan: opener Michael Swart anchored the Dutch innings with a knock of 53 from 51 deliveries and then conceded a miserly eight runs from three overs, while Timm van der Gugten came back towards the end to hit the stumps four times as he ran through the Bermudian lower order.

The Dutch batting has yet to fire fully in this competition, and they have yet to post a half-century partnership: the fourth-wicket stand of 49 here between Swart and Wesley Barresi was their best so far, and once again the boundaries were few and far between. They managed nine fours and two sixes in the whole innings, and were again outperformed by their opponents in this department, the Bermudians managing twelve fours and a six.

Not for the first time, it was the slower bowlers who were in the ascendant. Curt Stovell, Janeiro Tucker, Rodney Trott and Joshua Gilbert all proved hard to get away, Stovell's two for 14 from his four overs at the top of the innings the best effort of the Bermudian slower bowlers.

Swart's innings was a model of patience, as he worked the ball around, waiting for the loose deliveries and otherwise content to rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard moving. Only Barresi was able to stay with him for any length of time, however, and fellow-opener Stephan Myburgh's 12-ball 20 – 14 of those runs coming from Kamau Leverock's initial over – was the second-highest score.

Barresi contributed 16 and Peter Borren 14, but no-one else could reach double figures, and there were some nervous expressions among the Dutch support as Bermuda began their chase.

Borren marshalled his resources much more effectively than he had against Afghanistan, and frequent bowling changes prevented the Bermudian batsmen from settling.

Four different bowlers were given the first four overs, Swart conceding just three from the first, Van der Gugten two from the second, and Mudassar Bukhari three from the third, and already the pressure was beginning to build.

Stovell was bowled by Pieter Seelaar with 17 on the board, and when David Hemp followed in the following ever, bowled by Bukhari, that 125 started to look a little more substantial.

Stephen Outerbridge assumed the sheetanchor role which Swart had filled for the Netherlands, but whereas the latter had been able to go along at more or less a run a ball, Outerbridge struggled to maintain the momentum of his innings.

The aggression came from Lionel Cann (15 from 15) and Janeiro Tucker (20 from 17), but Cann was well caught by Myburgh at midwicket off Swart and Tucker was bowled by Ashan Malik Jamil, and Bermuda, on 75 for four after 15 overs, needed 10 an over.

Back came Van der Gugten, to bowl Leverock and Terryne Fray in the first over of his spell and Pitcher and Jason Anderson with the final two deliveries of his second, but in between Outerbridge smacked Jamil for two boundaries – the first of his innings – to keep his side's hopes alive.

Trott, coming in at No. 10, was by no means overawed by the task, and plundered three consecutive fours off Bukhari, leaving Bermuda needing 14 off Van der Gugten's last.

Outerbridge averted the hat-trick, taking three from the first two deliveries, but although Trott edged a four past the keeper and then took a single, six were needed from the last ball. Outerbridge could only manage a single, and a relieved Dutch side were able to celebrate their second win of the tournament.

Van der Gugten's four for 22 was an outstanding effort, but it was Swart's allround performance which took the Man of the Match award.

Still to fire on all cylinders, the Dutch now face Denmark on the smallest of the tournament's five grounds, the Global Cricket Academy second ground, and they will be looking to impose themselves more convincingly on one of their oldest traditional opponents. It will need better performances than this if they are to stake a claim for one of those two places in Sri Lanka.