Quick score: Ireland 150-8 (Adair 49, Tucker 40, Pringle 3-32) defeated Netherlands 149-8 (Pringle 35*, O'Dowd 33, Hand 3-18) by one point.
Tim Pringle almost snatched victory from Ireland in Voorburg on Sunday, but Mark Adair successfully defended 20 from the final over and 3 from the final ball to give Ireland a try in a dramatic one-run win. The series campaign has begun.
Adair previously scored 49 quickfire points from the depths of 83-6 with support from Gareth Delaney (19) to take his side to a defensible 150-8, but that was the difference between the two teams. It was proven that.
The Netherlands claimed 82 out of 60 with eight wickets in hand, but Fionn Hand (3-18) and Curtis Camphor (2-33) derailed their chase.
Playing his first international match in 18 months, Pringle made a 13-ball 35 for an almost unexpected win, but the result was nerve-wracking as he only controlled one final ball.
Earlier in the day, Holland took advantage of a decision to bowl first, reducing Ireland to 32-3 with Daniel Dorham's twin strikes on the power play. Lorcan Tucker wrapped up the innings with a 40-run knockout, but could not prevent his team from slipping to a shaky 83-6.
Things could have been worse for the visitors, apart from Adair's entertaining 24-ball 49, which featured seven fours and two sixes.
In response, the twin thirties of Max O'Dowd and Bas de Lied laid the foundation for the kicks, but when the situation called for an injection of intent, the Dutch lost four wickets for seven runs. , a delivery whose collapse was caused by De Lied's slash wide.
Needing 38 from the final two overs, Pringle understandably stepped up a gear. He took Barry McCarthy for 18 runs in his last two overs and finally scored 26 off Adair, only to score a pinpoint yorker on the final ball.
The Netherlands missed chances due to lack of acceleration in the middle overs, but Pringle's return will give them momentum. The New Zealand-based left-arm spinner was hampered by a broken bone and, ahead of last year's 50-over World Cup, where he was expected to someday join the squad as a traveling reserve, he suffered a further minor injury. I was pulled.
The fact that Pringle came on in place of off-spinner Aryan Dutt on Sunday, meaning they had to play two left-handed spinners, was due to the lack of left-handed players in Ireland's batting order.
His 3-32 before taking possession of the ball was all the more remarkable considering that he also bowled the final over and ended up conceding 11 runs for two wickets. During the subsequent chase, he played the role of Roelof van der Merwe to perfection, strengthening his credentials with the bat.
With him and Dolam sharing five wickets, the Dutchman is confident of having the right spin bowlers for the matchup.
Ireland return to play against Scotland on Monday, while the Netherlands look to rebuild their squad and seek a second win against Scotland on Wednesday. Entry to the match in Voorburg is free and all matches will be live-streamed on the European Cricket Network's YouTube channel.
