AMSTELVEEN, Holland, CMC – Brandon King’s career-best unbeaten half-century pulled West Indies out of trouble and steered them to a comfortable five-wicket win over the Netherlands, securing the tourists their first One-Day International series win of the year.
With the Caribbean side in a spot of bother at 99 for five nearing the half-way stage of the innings in Thursday’s second ODI, King arrived to fashion a polished 91 not out off 90 balls, enabling his side to overhaul their target of 215 with nearly five overs to spare at the VRA Ground.
He was partnered by rookie right-hander Keacy Carty who stroked an unbeaten 43 from 66 balls in his first international innings, the pair adding 118 in an unbroken sixth wicket partnership.
The result, which followed Tuesday’s seven-wicket win, helped West Indies break a run of poor results following series defeats to Ireland and India earlier this year.
“We’re very happy. We came to Amsterdam to get victories, to be successful and I feel as if we’re doing a lot of right things,” said captain Nicholas Pooran, who failed for the second straight innings with ten.
“Obviously it’s a game of cricket and you can’t have a perfect game all the time. When we were batting there we had a little bit of a collapse but then we had a wonderful partnership in the end.
“And that’s what we want as a team. We want when batsmen are batting well, to stick it out there for the team and get the job done.”
Wicketkeeper Scott Edwards had earlier top-scored with 68 off 89 deliveries as the Netherlands, choosing to bat first, rallied to 214 all out in the penultimate over.
Max O’Dowd struck 51 from 78 balls and opening partner Vikramjit Singh, 46 from 58 balls, but no one else in the batting lineup reached double figures as left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein ripped through the innings with four for 39.
The 19-year-old Vikramjit smashed five fours and a six as he put on 101 for the first wicket with O’Dowd who counted three fours and a six, to put West Indies under early pressure.
They were part of a slide that saw three wickets tumble for 16 runs but Edwards, who notched a single four in a measured knock, put on 31 for the fourth wicket with Musa Ahmed (7) before holding the innings together as wickets clattered around him.
West Indies’ start was less than stellar, Shamarh Brooks (6) steering seamer Logan van Beek to first slip in the sixth over, Shai Hope bowled by a Bas de Leede (2-46) in-swinger for 18 and Nkrumah Bonner yet again pinned lbw on his stumps for 15 by de Leede.
When the left-handed Pooran dragged on to teenaged off-spinner Aryan Dutt in the 16th and Kyle Mayers (22) nicked a cut at 19-year-old leg-spinner Shariz Ahmad’s second ball in international cricket, the hosts were sensing an upset.
However, King hardly put a foot wrong, lashing nine fours and three sixes, and reaching his second half-century in as many matches off 58 deliveries in the 35th over with a brace to cover off de Leede.
“The pitch is good for batting. I can’t complain. Fortunately our bowlers restricted them to a low total so I didn’t have to try and do anything too expansive, just keep it simple,” King said afterwards.
Carty, who made his debut on Tuesday but did not bat, revelled in his first innings at ODI level by stroking two fours and a six – a clean hit over the mid-wicket ropes off Dutt which ended the contest.
The final ODI is carded for the same venue tomorrow.
