 "World Cup 2023, New Zealand vs Netherlands: Batters, Mitchell Santner stand out as the Dutch collapse under pressure")
It was yet another (extra)ordinary day in the office for New Zealand, as they secured a comfortable 99-run win over Netherlands in Match 6 of the ODI World Cup in Hyderabad on Monday.
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The win helped New Zealand extend their domination against the Dutch in the ODI format. This was the Black Caps’ fifth win over Netherlands in as many matches and second in the ODI World Cup after their only meeting in the showpiece event in 1996.
Unlike the last match against England, where Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra finished the job with nine wickets to spare, the Kiwis’ batting was tested further this time around with their middle order coming into play.
The win helped New Zealand maintain top spot, with four points from two games.
Young, Ravindra and Latham step up
It was a rather sedate start from New Zealand after being put to bat. The first three overs, bowled by Aryan Dutt and Ryan Klein, accounted for consecutive maidens before Will Young collected a couple of boundaries in the fourth.
Although almost all of the New Zealand batters contributed with some vital runs, it was rather a forgettable outing for big-hitters Glenn Phillips (4) and Mark Chapman (5).
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View AllIt was the trio of Will Young (70), Rachin Ravindra (51) and skipper Tom Latham (53) who stood out, with the Black Caps showcasing that they can do well enough to cope up without Kane Williamson, who sat out a second consecutive match due to lack of match fitness.
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Unlike the last match where Ravindra went all out early on in his innings, he was more cautious in his approach on Monday.
Ravindra came into bat in the 13th over following the dismissal of Devon Conway, and initially dealt in ones and twos against Roelef van der Merwe and Colin Ackermann. He collected his first boundary of the match only in the 21st over, when he punished Bas de Leede’s full toss with a slotted boundary between short third man and point.
In the 24th over, there was a déjà vu moment for Ravindra, as he slammed Ackermann for a six over long on, playing with full freedom to swing it over the boundary ropes.
Runs had dried up in the middle overs, with New Zealand reaching their 100 only midway through the 20th over. However, plenty of wickets in hand meant that the Kiwis had all the time in the world to post a challenging total.
Will Young, on the other hand, played the role of the aggressor this time around, slamming seven fours and two sixes. Although it was unlike Rachin Ravindra’s knock the other day, Young still kept the boundaries on what was a flat Hyderabad pitch to bat on.
Young eventually got to his half-century in the 20th over, with a drive towards long-on for a single.
Ravindra was dismissed in the 33rd over by van der Merwe, and it was then time for Tom Latham to take centre-stage.
Latham too scored an entertaining half-century that was filled with six fours and a six. Latham collected his first boundary in the 35th over with a reverse sweep off van der Merwe’s delivery, but it was his three consecutive fours off Bas de Leede in the 36th over that set the Kiwis a platform for a 300-plus total.
New Zealand reached their 200-run mark in the 36th over, and took just seven overs to get to 250, with Latham and Mitchell Santner, having changed gears towards the end of the innings.
Latham got to his fifty soon after New Zealand surpassed 250 in the 43rd over. What’s more, a mammoth 84 runs came in the last 10 overs of New Zealand’s innings, despite having lost four wickets.
Clinical Santner seals it for Kiwis
The pressure of chasing a 300-plus total got to the Dutch pretty quickly. They needed 323 runs to win, and the pressure of chasing a big total was prevalent as they suffered a slow and steady collapse. A collapse that was partly inflicted by Mitchell Santner.
After a valuable knock of 36 not out, Santner quickly transitioned himself into bowling all the 10 overs while taking a five-wicket haul. Despite a valiant half-century from Colin Ackermann (69) and a knock of 30 from Scott Edwards, there was hardly anything much from the rest of the Dutch batters.
- Player of the match award.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 9, 2023
- Five wicket haul with ball.
- 36* from 17 balls with bat.
- 1 catch.
A day to remember for Mitchell Santner in his career - one of the finest performances in World Cup history. pic.twitter.com/qZVRcgpww1
Half of the damage was inflicted by Mitchell Santner, who came into the attack in the ninth over. Just two overs later, in the 11th over, Santner got his first wicket when he struck Max O’ Dowd leg before wicket.
The left-arm orthodox spinner was even more impactful in the middle overs, leaving no room for improvement for the Dutch batters. He saw off the dangerman Ackermann in the 33th over, before taking a catch off his own bowling to get rid of Scott Edwards in the 35th over.
Earlier in the 35th, Edwards had hit Santner for a six and a four, both over wide long on, before the Kiwi spinner got his revenge.
Netherlands’ van der Merwe was probably their last hope of reviving their chances, whatever they had, but the former South Africa player fell victim to a reverse sweep, handing the opportunity of a catch to Matt Henry at point. That was Santner’s fourth wicket, and five overs later, in the 42nd, Santner completed his five-fer with the LBW dismissal of Ryan Klein.
The Dutch, were eventually bundled out for 223 in 46.3 overs as they succumbed to their second straight defeat.
For New Zealand, it was a complete performance all round, and a morale booster of sorts, as bigger challenges await them in the World Cup.
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