The first match of the Netherlands Tri-Nation T20I series went down to the wire, with the hosts emerging victorious by four runs.
Pieter Seelaar enjoyed a winning start as Netherlands captain, producing a superb all-round display to inspire a nail-biting four-run victory over Ireland in the first match of the Netherlands Tri-Nation T20I series in Rotterdam.
The 30-year-old replaced longstanding skipper Peter Borren in April following the Netherlands’ failure to qualify for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup and he immediately led from the front in what proved to be an enthralling match.
Ireland looked well out of the game at 96/8 in pursuit of 145 but a blistering innings of 57* from 29 balls by Simi Singh set up a dramatic finish. Singh needed to hit Paul van Meekeren’s final ball of the match for six to claim victory but could only manage a single, as the Netherlands won by four runs.
Earlier in the day the hosts were put into bat and struggling on 52/4 when Seelaar walked to the wicket. Tobias Visee (15 off 8) and Max O’Dowd (20 off 14) had given the Dutch a promising start but the former fell to the impressive Barry McCarthy (3/26) before three wickets fell for six runs, with Stuart Thompson dismissing the Ben Cooper for 14.
Seelaar held his nerve though, compiling 36 from 28 deliveries and sharing a pivotal fifth-wicket stand of 64 with Bas de Leede (33 from 35) to set the platform for a respectable score.
Ireland fought back strongly after that partnership, as Singh removed Seelaar and McCarthy clean bowled de Leede to pick up his third wicket. The last four wickets fell for eight runs to leave the Netherlands 144 all out after 19.5 overs. It looked a below-par total but the captain had given his team a chance.
Ireland’s openers made a solid start, as Paul Stirling and Thompson reached 18/0 in 2.3 overs, but when the 22-year-old debutant Shane Snater had the latter caught behind for 15, the visitors struggled to find any real momentum, losing wickets at regular intervals.
Fred Klaassen dismissed the dangerous William Porterfield for 2, before left-arm spinner Seelaar had Stirling (17) stumped and then clean bowled his opposite number Gary Wilson to leave Ireland reeling at 45/4. Things went from bad to worse for the Irish when key man Kevin O’Brien was well taken by Seelaar at mid-wicket off the bowling of van Meekeren and James Shannon and Stuart Poynter fell in quick succession as they slumped to 63/7.
Seelaar (3/25) picked up his third wicket when George Dockrell was caught in the deep and it took some lusty blows from Singh to keep Ireland in the hunt, the all-rounder hitting four fours and three sixes in his enterprising knock.
Singh and McCarthy (11*) combined to hit 22 runs from the penultimate over to set up a grandstand finish but van Meekeren nailed his yorker from the final delivery to ensure his side made a winning start to a competition which also features Scotland.
The Netherlands and Ireland will meet again at the same venue on 13 June, with the hosts hoping to extend their run of four consecutive victories over the Irish in the shortest format.
