Deventer (Netherlands), Jun 20 (UNI) Riding on an unbeaten half-century from opener Max O'Dowd and a collective batting and bowling effort, powered Netherlands to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the opening game of the two-match ODI series in Deventer.
In a match that was reduced to 47 overs a side, Netherlands’ new-ball duo of Fred Klaassen and Vivian Kingma ripped through the Zimbabwe top order, sending back the top three inside the first Powerplay.
From there, it was always an uphill task for Zimbabwe to recover. They did, partially, thanks to Brendan Taylor’s 71 at No.4, but the loss of frequent wickets at the other end meant Taylor couldn’t string together a substantial partnership as Netherlands stayed on top of the opposition.