NETHERLANDS VS. IRELAND: IRE’S TOUR OF NED 2021, 1st ODI | MATCH PREDICTION AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
Hosts Netherlands take on Ireland in the first ODI of the 3-match series at the Sportpark Maarschalkerweerd in Utrecht on Wednesday. It is part of the ICC ODI Super League.
Both the teams are coming into this series with unfavorable results in their last appearances in this format. Netherlands failed to win against Scotland at home last month, while Ireland suffered a whitewash against Afghanistan earlier in the year.
Led by Pieter Seelar, Netherlands will finally feature in their first match of the ODI Super League. The team's sole aim will be to do well here and qualify for the World Cup in 2023. Although a few key players are missing for the hosts, they certainly do have a side to take on their more-decorated rivals. Max O’Dowd and Stephan Myburgh will start the proceedings with the likes of Ben Cooper and Seelaar in the middle order. Visee and Tim van der Gugten add good strength down the order with their hitting abilities. Logan van Beek and Kingma will have a very important role to play with the new ball against a strong top order of the visitors.
Andrew Balbirnie’s side will look to put behind the suffering at the hands of Afghanistan as they go into this game. The return of William Porterfield strengthens the batting, with in-form Paul Stirling for company at the top. Balbirnie, Kevin O’Brien and Harry Tector will be expected to make runs in the middle order. The side has a very strong batting line-up and the Irish skipper will look to take an early lead in the series. The likes of Simi Singh and Mark Adir add depth to this batting line-up. On the bowling front, good spells will be expected from Barry McCarthy and Craig Young with the new ball here.
Netherlands have had a poor record against Ireland and have managed to defeat them just once in this format. Ireland have a very strong batting line-up and they will look to extend their good record. So expect an exciting first game between these two promising sides on Wednesday.
Match Details
- Match: Netherlands vs. Ireland, 1st ODI
- Venue: Sportpark Maarschalkerweerd, Utrecht
- Date & Time: June 2, 2021, at 2:00 PM IST/10.30 AM Local
Probable Playing XI
Netherlands
Stephan Myburgh, Max O'Dowd, Ben Cooper, Pieter Seelaar (C), Scott Edwards (WK), Logan van Beek, Tobias Visee, Timm van der Gugten, Brandon Glover, Vivian Kingma, Philippe Boissevain
Ireland
William Porterfield, Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (C), Kevin O'Brien, George Dockrell, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (WK), Simi Singh, Mark Adair, Brain McCarthy, Craig Young
Weather and Pitch Report
Utrecht is expected to have sunny conditions on the day of the match. The temperature will be around 26 degrees during the game.
This will be the first ODI played at this venue. The surface here is a lively one, with plenty of help for fast bowlers to enjoy with the new ball. Batsmen will get good value for their shots but will have to battle through the initial phase to score runs here. There isn’t much here for the spinners and they will have to rely on their variations to restrict the scoring and to take wickets.
The conditions are expected to be good for batting early on since the pitch will get slower as the game progresses. The captain that wins the toss is expected to opt to bat first. A target of 240-250 can be a competitive one.
Top Fantasy Picks
Netherlands
- Max O'Dowd is currently the most in-form batsman on the Netherlands team. He made a sparkling 133* in the recent T20 series involving Nepal and Malaysia. He also scored a match-winning 82 in the first ODI against Scotland a few weeks ago.
- Pieter Seelaar is one of the most experienced players in the hosts' line-up, having played 43 ODIs and taking 50 wickets. He has improved upon his batting in recent times, with a couple of 20s and 30s in his last seven international innings. He will look to give a good all-round performance here.
- Vivian Kingma was impressive in the recent ODI series against Scotland, picking up 5 wickets in two matches at an average of 8.8 and an economy rate of 2.93. He bowled accurately and troubled the Scottish batsmen in more bowler-friendly conditions.
Ireland
- Paul Stirling's recent ODI form has been brilliant, with 4 centuries in his last six innings against England, the UAE and Afghanistan. He is an attacking batsman and likes to dominate the bowlers while he is at the crease. Expect a big innings from him here.
- Andrew Balbirnie's form with the bat was a disaster in the ODI series against Afghanistan, having made just 25 runs in three innings. He has played better since then, with a century and an 80 in the domestic 50-overs games. He will look to lead the team from the front in this match.
- Brain McCarthy has taken 59 wickets in the 35 ODIs he has played in his career, with best figures of 5/46 against Afghanistan. He has taken 17 wickets in his last six domestic 50-over games and has been in good bowling form. Expect him to take a few more wickets here.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: T Visee
- Batsmen: M O'Dowd, A Balbirnie, P Stirling, H Tector
- All-rounders: P Seelaar, S Singh
- Bowlers: P Boissevain, V Kingma, C Young, B McCarthy
- Captain: A Balbirnie/P Stirling
- Vice Captain: M O'Dowd/V Kingma
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can make your match prediction and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!
