NZ edge Netherlands by 16 runs to win first T20I

Ish Sodhi and Bas de Leede shake hands after the game. Pic/ Official Instagram account of Netherlands cricket

Solid knocks from Martin Guptill and James Neesham and a destructive spell by medium-pacer Blair Tickner helped New Zealand pull off a 16-run win over a fighting Netherlands unit in the first T20I of two-match series here at Sportpark Westvliet in The Hague on Thursday.

New Zealand has gained a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. In their first innings, New Zealand struggled against tight bowling by the Dutch and posted a modest 148/7 in 20 overs. Martin Guptill (45) and Jimmy Neesham (32) were the only ones that could contribute something solid with their willow.

Logan van Beek (2/35) and Shariz Ahmed (2/15) pulled out some brilliant bowling spells for their side. In the chase of 149, the Netherlands lost their dominant position in the match and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Knocks from Bas de Leede (66) and captain Scott Edwards (20) tried to take the hosts across the finishing line but they fell sixteen runs short.

Medium pacers Blair Ticker and Ben Sears were extremely brilliant with the ball, walking away with spells of 4/27 and 3/22 respectively.

New Zealand opted to bat first, New Zealand did not have a very good start. Guptill was the only one who really had things going well with the bat while Finn Allen (8), Dane Cleaver (2), Daryl Mitchell (15), and Glenn Phillips (14) flopped.

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The result was that half of New Zealand's batting lineup was inside the pavilion by 95 runs. Guptill was also dismissed by Ryan Klein for a fighting 45 off 32 balls. After his dismissal, all-rounder Neesham tried stabilising the innings. But he was dismissed by Van Beek for 32 runs off 17 balls. A solid cameo from Ish Sodhi (19') and in the end, took New Zealand to 148/7 at the end of their 20 overs.

van Beek (2/35) and Shariz Ahmed (2/15) took two wickets each. Klein, Tom Pringle and Clayton Floyd took one wicket each.

Chasing 149, the Dutch had an even worse start with the bat, with three batters dismissed within a space of 15 runs. Bas de Leede tried to resist the powerful New Zealand bowling with his partner and captain Scott Edwards. But their fightback could last only 49 runs with Edwards being dismissed for 20 off 16 balls.

The Netherlands were 64/4 but they still had some batters left and most importantly, Leede was still there. Leede tried to keep things steady from one end but he did not get proper support from other batters. If it was Tickner who had destroyed their top order, Ben Sears and Ish Sodhi did the same with their lower middle order/lower order.

Leede was the last man dismissed by Tickner for a gutsy 66 off 53 balls. His knock was not enough for the hosts to win the game as they fell 16-runs short.

The Netherlands was bundled out for 132 in 19.3 overs. Tickner (4/27) and Sears (3/22) reigned supreme over the Netherlands batting attack without breaking a sweat. Santner and Sodhi took one wicket each.

Brief Scores: New Zealand: 148/7 (Martin Guptill 45, James Neesham 32, Shariz Ahmed 2/15) defeated Netherlands: 132 in 19.3 overs (Bas de Leede 66, Scott Edwards 20, Blair Tickner 4/27) by 16 runs.

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