A 200-run opening stand between Kyle Coetzer and George Munsey, who hit the fourth fastest century in men’s T20Is, ensured a comfortable victory over the Netherlands by 58 runs.
Munsey hit 14 sixes during his unbeaten 127, as Scotland posted 252/3 in their 20 overs. It took until the 16th over for Netherlands to break the opening stand, the Scottish pair racking up only the fourth double-hundred partnership in T20I history. Never before in T20Is have both openers scored hundreds, and it looked as though history would be made in that regard as well until Coetzer feathered an edge behind off a wide delivery from Shane Snater (3/42), departing for a destructive 89.
Ireland v Netherlands opener at Malahide rained off
When Dutch captain Pieter Seelaar chose to bowl first having won the toss, he could scarcely have imagined the carnage that was to unfold. Coetzer was the man who caused the early damage, hitting his first two balls to the rope before sending his third over it. There was no real let-up from the Scottish openers, and the Scottish captain brought up his fifty from only 24 balls with the score on 76/0 from six overs and a ball.
Munsey kick-started his innings the following over with back-to-back sixes from the bowling of Snater, before repeating the feat off Seelaar to bring up his own half-century in 27 balls. That left both batsmen on 56 at the halfway point and the total on 116/0. Coetzer resumed the lead with three consecutive fours off Bas de Leede, and three sixes from a Paul van Meekeren over, but Munsey caught up in a hurry, hitting a boundary from every ball of Max O’Dowd’s solitary over, four of them maximums, as the Dutch spinner returned figures of 0/32.
Left-arm seamer Fred Klassen returned from an expensive first stint, bowling an over which went for just two runs to offer brief respite for the Dutch boundary fielders, before Munsey hit another pair of sixes from the bowling of Seelaar to register his maiden T20 century from just 41 balls. After Snater made the breakthrough in the following over, and dismissed Michael Leask for a golden duck, the game slowed, with a mere 52 runs coming from the final five overs.
Netherlands’ reply never really threatened, as they lost three wickets inside the first four overs. Seelaar’s impressive unbeaten 96, from only 49 balls, provided some relief for his side as they scored 194/7 in response, but they will feel they need to put in a better display with the ball to be in with a chance of overcoming hosts Ireland on Wednesday.
