Ireland began their ICC T20 World Cup 2021 campaign in great style as they eased past the Netherlands in the opening fixture of Group A First Round by seven wickets and 29 balls to spare. The Men in Green now have two points with a net run-rate of 1.755 and have bolstered their chances of advancing through to the Super 12 stage.
Curtis Campher was the star of the match with his four wickets in four balls. Ireland bundled out the Dutch to 106 on the back of Campher’s four-fer and Mark Adair’s three-fer. In response, Paul Stirling scored unbeaten 30, and Gareth Delany smashed 44 off 29 as they crossed the finishing line in 15.1 overs.
As it happened, the Dutch won the toss and elected to bat first. But they had a disastrous start as the openers were involved in a huge mix-up, and Ben Cooper was run out on the third ball of the innings. Bas de Leede (7) was the next one to fall, as he shuffled across and missed a full toss by Joshua Little that crashed onto the leg stump. Max O’Dowd and Colin Ackermann tried to rebuild the innings and took the Netherlands to 50/2 in nine overs. What followed was a carnage!
Campher bowled a short ball angling down the leg and Ireland opted for a review after the on-field umpire gave it not out. The ultra edge showed a spike as Ackermann walked back on 11. On the next ball, Campher pinned Ryan ten Doeschate right in front of the stumps.
The next one – hat-trick delivery – Campher to Scott Edwards, a full delivery again trapped the batter in front. Ireland again opted for a review and, the Hawkeye showed three reds. Later on, Roelof van der Merwe threw his hands at wide delivery and chopped it on as Campher became only the third player to pick four in four.
The Netherlands were reduced to 51/6 in 10 overs. O’Dowd and Pieter Seelaar added 37 runs for the seventh wicket. The former, who scored 51 off 47, holed out in the 17th over as his side’s last hope of a competitive total vanished. The latter picked two more wickets in the last over to close out the Dutch innings on 106.
Chasing a low target, Stirling and Kevin O’Brien started well, adding 27-run opening stand before O’Brien (9) popped one to extra cover in the fourth over. In the next over, Fred Klaassen bowled a well-directed bouncer to the Irish skipper Andy Balbirnie (8), who mistimed a pull to van der Merwe.
Stirling and Delany joined hands and added 59 runs for the third wicket. Delany continued his good form and scored some delightful strokes in his 29-ball-44 knock. He was cleaned up by Seelaar in the 13th over. Stirling, at the other end, remained unbeaten on 30, but the knock was very unlike him, coming in 39 balls. Something that he might rue if it comes down to net run-rate.
Campher was awarded the ‘player of the match’ for a brilliant performance. Ireland occupy the second spot in Group A, with Sri Lanka topping the table with better net run-rate. The Netherlands are third with no points and will need to win both their games comprehensively to have a chance.
Brief scores
Netherlands – 106 all out in 20 overs (O’Dowd 51, Seelaar 21; Campher 4/26, Adair 3/9)
Ireland – 107/3 in 15.1 overs (Delany 44, Stirling 30*; Seelaar 1/14, Klaassen 1/18) won by seven wickets.
