Photo credit: Sander Toren
After a checkered 38 overs, Holland and Ireland faced Westvliet on Sunday in a protracted denouement in a last-ball thriller that saw Ireland win by one run.
Chasing Ireland's 150 for 8 after Scott Edwards introduced the visitors, Holland still needed 38 with two overs to go, seven wickets down and two new batters at the crease. Ireland appeared to have won a relatively easy victory.
However, one of those batsmen was Tim Pringle, who was brought into the team in place of Aryan Dutt, and he took 17 runs in Barry McCarthy's penultimate innings, finishing with the needed left fielder. Together with the wide 20 runs, they scored 17 runs.
McCarthy's final shot kept Pringle on strike, but Dutch victory looked to be out of reach when Mark Adair's first two shots could only hit two and one. It seemed to me.
Even more so when Paul van Meekeren took a big swing and was caught by Gareth Delaney on the square-leg boundary.
With Daniel Dorham on strike, Adair's attempted wide yorker missed the mark, allowing Pringle to come back to strike on a scramble run.
Now 15 shots were required, and Pringle hit six in a row to the delight of the large Dutch crowd. The first one took a long time in strong prevailing winds, and the second one was lofted hard over midwicket.
Only four were needed, but Adair produced the lame-footed yorker that Ireland needed, perhaps because the ghost of Stuart Broad is haunting Westvliet (if you don't know why, see 'Broad Cricket 2009 Overthrown') (Try googling it), Pringle could only push the ball back to the bowler and call Doram through for a single, Adair contentedly holding on to the ball and leaving Holland with just one run away from the super over. Ta.
It was largely due to Adair that the Netherlands were chasing 150 points initially. Starting with a precarious 83 for 6 with Ireland, he smashed a devastating 24-ball 49, including seven fours and two sixes, to overwhelm the stand with 66. He was alongside Delaney until he was trapped in front and attempted a reverse sweep-in, which ironically resulted in Pringle's final over.
Until Adair arrived at the crease, the Dutch were in fairly clear control, reducing the Irish to 3 for 32 in the first five overs, with Kingma bowling Andy Balbirnie and Dorum, then three Eliminated Paul Sterling and Harry Tector between deliveries.
A stand of 33 between Lorcan Tucker and Curtis Campfer began the rebuilding process, which ended with a great catch by Bas de Lied at deep point. Bas de Lied ran in and dove forward with a point deep in the back, taking Kanfer's attempted uppercut away from Van Meekeren. A bouncer a few centimeters from the ground.
Tucker followed with two overs, and as he tried to hit Pringle for a six into the wind, Vikram Singh caught him wide. His 40 came from 30 births, including five 4's and one 6.
Ireland were 83 for 6 when keeper Edwards ran 30 meters at fine leg to take George Dockrell's top edge pull to Adair's bat and a fine effort in a run chase much tougher than home. I'm sure the people who paved the way for this were also hoping for this.
Pringle's 3-for-32 performance was outstanding, but Logan van Beek also pitched well, conceding just 22 runs in four overs.
Michael Levitt and Max O'Dowd got the team off to another solid start, but Ireland were able to limit their power play damage to 39 with a four-man pace attack of Adair, McCarthy, Finn Hand and Campher, and then Camphor caught Dangerman Levitt. Tector hit it midway through the final ball of the sixth over.
Singh soon followed, and although he was unable to repeat Saturday's onslaught, de Reid batted with great certainty and drove with alacrity while O'Dowd was restricted to a series of singles.
However, with O'Dowd having 33 off 30 balls and de Reed having 32 off 29 balls, the innings quickly subsided and the batting averages began to rise as Teja Nidamanuru, Van Beek and Edwards followed. Only 7 points were added.
Hand's three runs off 18 from four overs put Ireland in the lead, but it was only Pringle's effort in the final over that produced that memorable ending.
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