On a slow, dry court in Hyderabad on Monday, October 9, New Zealand overcame Netherlands by scoring 320 or more points owing to contributions from their top five players and an explosive cameo from Mitchell Santner towards the end of the game. The Netherlands played with poise for the majority of the innings, improving around the 40-over mark with some strong defensive bowling, but they gave up a few runs in the last few overs to let New Zealand off the hook.
It was quickly apparent that this surface was not as flat and slow as it had been during the warm-up games here last week as the afternoon innings got underway. The Netherlands quickly got things going and put pressure on the New Zealand openers with three consecutive first deliveries. When other teams might have panicked, Will Young and Devon Conway maintained their composure. They were more tightly focused and, more significantly, they played the moral game to punish even the tiniest hint of irresponsibility. The batting side had gained traction as 28 runs were scored in the next three overs.
Ryan Klein, who started in place of the injured Logan van Beek, let down Aryan Dutt, who utilised the surface well and played well with the new ball. Conway and Young attacked Klein while carrying Dutt for a massive six over cow corner. Despite only throwing three first pitches in the whole game, New Zealand scored an astounding 63 runs in the opening Powerplay. But the larger field of play and improved radar helped the Netherlands find their bearings. The first stand was broken when Roelof van der Merwe removed Conway, giving the Dutch an even better chance to control the scoring tempo.dd
Rachin Ravindra joined Young on the pitch, and despite not playing as fluidly as England, he exuded confidence. The surface also contributed to that. Despite the fact that both players scored runs and each crossed the fifty-run threshold, their overall scoring pace was insufficiently alarming. Maybe the Black Caps’ covert goal was to earn a score of par. Dutch bowlers frequently bowled to the fields, which may just indicate that they were streetwise. Young appeared to be going for 100, but only Ravindra and he were politely rejected.
Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham continued to split the ball after 30 overs, making it considerably more challenging to keep the pace. However, the scoreboard was able to remain up thanks to the hitters’ skill. When Mitchell was dismissed in the 41st over, New Zealand’s situation started to get worse. Despite skipper Latham’s ability to hold his own at the other end, they lost a few more wickets. The rate of scoring dropped, and it even appeared that the Dutch might be able to keep the Kiwis’ total score under 300 points.
But the inning got off to a wonderful start thanks to Latham and Santner, who finished it off with a no-ball six and a free single that also scored six runs. New Zealand scored an incredible 50 runs in the final three overs on the slowpitch to get their total up to a score that was very close to par.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 322/7 in 50 overs (Will Young 70, Tom Latham 53, Rachin Ravindra 51; Roelof van der Merwe 2-56, Paul van Meekeren 2-59) vs Netherlands
