Recent Match Report – Netherlands vs Ireland 3rd Match, First Round Group A 2021/22

Netherlands’ power(less)play

After choosing to bat, Netherlands lost Ben Cooper to an awful mix-up in the very first over. Bas de Leede and O’Dowd tried to get a move on by manufacturing swinging room and shots. de Leede successfully jumped down the track and belted Little for four in the fifth over, but next ball the left-arm seamer knocked out the leg stump with a skiddy full-toss. Adair gave up only two runs in his first two overs as Netherlands tiptoed to 25 for 2 in the powerplay.

Curtis backbreaker

Campher began his shift with a 12-run first-over – two wide half-trackers that were duly put away to the boundary. He, however, came back to break Netherlands’ middle order with a stunning sequence. When he sent a short ball down the leg side, Colin Ackermann was late onto a pull, nicking behind to keeper Neil Rock. He immediately shifted his line and length, going fuller and straighter to pin Ryan ten Doeschate and Scott Edwards lbw in similar fashion. Three in three became four in four when Roelof van der Merwe threw his hands at a wide ball only to drag it back onto his stumps. The celebrations that followed were understated much like his military mediums.

Dowd tucked into the spin of Simi Singh and Ben White, taking 32 off 23 balls from them. He notched up his seventh T20I fifty before Adair tricked him with an in-to-the-pitch cutter. Quite fittingly, Adair and Campher combined for the last wicket, that of No. 11 Brandon Glover, dismissing Netherlands for 106.

Sedate Stirling, dashing Delany

Glover and Fred Klaassen struck early in the chase to remove Kevin O’Brien (9) and captain Andy Balbirnie (8). With the Netherlands seamers gleaning some sharp bounce, Paul Stirling, who is usually a powerful ball-striker in the powerplay, held himself back and forged a 59-run stand that was dominated by Gareth Delany.