New Zealand survived a Dutch scare early in the first innings before wiping out the Dutch batting lineup to win by a huge margin of 118 runs in the second One Day International at Seddon Park, Hamilton.

Having opted to bowl first, the Netherlands’ fast-bowlers ran through the New Zealand top and middle order to leave them reeling at 32 for 5 at the end of the power play. Martin Guptill was the first to fall in the fifth over after which the freefall of wickets continued as Logan van Beek (4-56) and Fred Klaassen (3-36) used the short ball to good effect.

Captain Pieter Seelaar struck in the 23rd over to send back Colin de Grandhomme to peg back New Zealand to 89 for six. But any whispers of a massive upset were laid to rest by Latham, who was proactive against the spinners and aggressive against the quicks. He put on a 90-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Doug Bracewell (41 off 51) and single-handedly led New Zealand’s charge towards posting a formidable, par total of 264 for 9 in 50 overs.

‘In total, it was a day of frustration,’ Netherlands’ head coach Ryan Campbell said after the match. ‘We started brilliantly, our aggression in the power play was outstanding. Tom Latham is an exceptional player. He showed today what a good technique and a solid mindset can do. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get him out.’

The Netherlands were rocked back early in their chase after both the openers were snuffed out just seven balls into the chase. Vikramjit Singh (31 off 71) and Bas de Leede (37 off 58) held fort and displayed a rich array of square cuts and drives over and through the covers to put on a 77-run partnership that saw 12 boundaries between them.

But their dismissals by the 23rd over precipitated a stunning collapse at the hands of spinners Ish Sodhi (2-17) and Michael Bracewell (3-21) as the Netherlands were eventually bowled out for a paltry total of 146 in the 35th over.

📸 | The best shots of the second ODI in this Super League Series

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— Cricket🏏Netherlands (@KNCBcricket) April 2, 2022

‘Chasing 265, I think there were moments with the two youngsters in Vikram and Bas, when we started to dare to believe,’ said Campbell. ‘I guess that’s the difference between a young team where they make mistakes still and instead of being ruthless when they have their foot on someone’s neck, they let it off.’

‘They (the bowlers) gave their heart and soul and as a coach, that’s all I can ask for, that they give their everything.

Campbell also suggested that they would look to make a few changes to the side for the final ODI and it is likely that Clayton Floyd, the left-arm spinner, could be drafted into the XI given the spin on offer.

The final ODI, which would be New Zealand’s legendary batter Ross Taylor’s last, also presents an opportunity to the Netherlands to collect ten crucial points in the World Cup Super League, which counts towards qualification for the 2023 World Cup in India.

Super League

‘First thing would be to go out and absolutely enjoy our moments with Ross Taylor on the ground. The whole thing about us being in the Super League is the opportunity for my youngsters to spend time on grounds with the greatest players in the world,’ said Campbell.

‘We need to be competitive. We need to bring the heat, we need to bring our passion and execute our skills. I think we’ll make a few changes and will look to change up our team a little bit and look for different opportunities. But it’s now about our pride, our energy and what we can get out of it remembering that, when we go home, we have a massive summer ahead, we need to leave these shores in a good frame.

The third One-Day International takes place at the same venue on Monday, April 4.