Brief scores: Ireland 150-8 (Adair 49, Tucker 40, Pringle 3-32) beat the Netherlands 149-8 (Pringle 35*, O’Dowd 33, Hand 3-18) by one run.
Tim Pringle very nearly stole victory away from Ireland at Voorburg on Sunday, but Mark Adair successfully defended 20 off the final over, and three off the final ball, to kick off Ireland’s tri-series campaign with a dramatic one-run win.
Adair had earlier helped his side to a defendable 150-8 from the depths of 83-6 with a quick fire 49, with support from Gareth Delany (19), proving to be the difference between the sides.
The Dutch looked set to cruise to their second win in as many days at the half-way mark in their chase, requiring 82 off 60 with eight wickets in hand but a mini-collapse set in motion by Fionn Hand (3-18) and Curtis Campher (2-33) derailed the chase.
Pringle, playing his first International game in over 18 months, nearly pulled off an unlikely win with a 13-ball 35 but could only manage a single off the final ball in a nerve-wracking finish.
Earlier in the day, the Dutch capitalised on their decision to bowl first as Daniel Doram’s twin strikes in the powerplay reduced Ireland to 32-3. Lorcan Tucker held the innings together with a 40-run knock but couldn’t prevent his side’s slide to a precarious 83-6.
Save for Adair’s entertaining 24-ball 49, which featured seven fours and two sixes, things could have been much worse for the visitors.
In response, twin 30s from Max O’Dowd and Bas de Leede laid the platform to kick on but just when the situation demanded an injection of intent, the Dutch lost four wickets for seven runs, a collapse triggered by de Leede slashing at a wide delivery.
Needing 38 off the final two overs, Pringle, naturally, stepped up a gear: taking Barry McCarthy for 18 runs in the penultimate over before nailing two sixes off Adair in the last, only to jam out a pinpoint yorker off the final ball.
The Dutch missed out on an opportunity, lacking middle-overs acceleration, but will be encouraged by Pringle’s returns. The New Zealand-based left-arm spinner was laid low by a fracture and was further hampered by niggles ahead of the 50-over World Cup last year, when it was hoped he would join the squad as a travelling reserve at some point.
Pringle’s inclusion in place of off-spinner Aryan Dutt on Sunday, and thus the need to play two left-arm spinners, was down to a lack of left-handers in Ireland’s batting order.
His 3-32 earlier with the ball was all the more remarkable given he also bowled the final over and ended up conceding 11 runs for two wickets. Later during the chase, he played Roelof van der Merwe’s role to perfection, reinforcing his credentials with the bat.
With him and Doram sharing five wickets, the Dutch can be confident with a battery of spin bowlers well-suited for match-ups.
Ireland is back in action against Scotland on Monday while the Dutch will regroup and look for their second win against the Scots on Wednesday. Entry to the games at Voorburg is free and all matches are live-streamed on the European Cricket Network’s YouTube channel.