Another day, another clinical display by New Zealand!
They outclassed Netherlands by 99 runs in a World Cup match in Hyderabad on Monday (October 9). New Zealand defended their total of 322/7, with Mitchell Santner leading the way with a five-wicket haul. He had struck a 17-ball, unbeaten 36 earlier. Matt Henry chipped in with three wickets. There were valuable efforts with the bat from Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell and skipper Tom Latham in their team’s second successive win.
Opting to field first, the Netherlands began impressively by delivering three consecutive maiden overs, with Devon Conway and Young stranded in their respective ends. However, the momentum took an abrupt turn starting from the fourth over. The openers swiftly shifted gears, effortlessly dispatching boundaries. They forged a 67-run partnership, before veteran spinner Roelof van der Merwe provided the breakthrough. Conway’s aggression led to his downfall as he was caught in the deep for a 32-ball 40.
Young, coming off a disappointing performance against England, looked good and notched up his sixth ODI fifty. Alongside Ravindra, who scored a century against England, Young crafted a solid 77-run partnership for the second wicket. Both batters seemed to be in control. But against the run of play, Young got out in an attempt to pull Paul van Meekeren. He made 70 off 80 balls.
Ravindra couldn’t capitalize on his start and was dismissed by Van der Merwe for 51. Mitchell contributed a valuable 48, but after his departure, New Zealand lost Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman in quick succession.
The Dutch bowlers succeeded in curbing the scoring rate briefly. However, stand-in captain Latham stepped up and played a crucial innings, scoring 53 off 46 balls, bringing New Zealand closer to 300. A brilliant cameo by Santner and Henry’s four-ball 10 took New Zealand to a formidable 322/7.
The target was always going to be uphill for the Dutch. Like always, they fought but found themselves far away from the finish line. Vikramjit Singh, who had impressed in his previous outing against Pakistan, appeared out of sorts against New Zealand’s pacers, particularly Henry. His footwork was sluggish and eventually, Henry breached his defence and shattered the stumps.
After surviving the new ball, Max O’Dowd tried to accelerate but fell to Santner. Colin Ackermann first paired up with the in-form Bas de Leede and later with Teja Nidamanuru in an attempt to mount a challenge. However, the required run rate kept rising. The Dutch batters struggled to score briskly as the pitch slowed down. The bowlers consistently hit the right lines and lengths. Ackermann fought valiantly, but eventually fell to Santner.
Sybrand Engelbrecht showed promise with his 29 off 34 balls and Aryan Dutt contributed 11 off 20 towards the end. However, the target remained out of reach as the Netherlands folded up for 223 in 46.3 overs.