WI hold nerve to sweep Netherlands series in high-scoring 3rd ODI

Centuries from Kyle Mayers and Shamarh Brooks lifted the West Indies to an imposing 308-5, a total which would prove beyond a spirited Netherlands chase, with the hosts falling 20 runs short in an entertaining series finale at Amstelveen. A late fightback at the death by the Netherlands with the ball had prevented the tourists from putting the game to bed after winning the toss and electing to bat on a placid VRA surface, but despite the callow home top order all contributing run-a-ball cameos or better, Max O'Dowd's anchoring 89 came too slowly to keep them in the game. West Indies' bowlers were clinical at the death, holding their chances as the Dutch resorted to slogging, closing out the win on the penultimate ball still 20 runs ahead. The hosts had taken an aggressive approach to selection, picking four seamers on an nonthreatening surface intending to bowl first, and thought their guests went along with their gameplan they were unable to capitalise with the new ball. Vivian Kingma back in the side despite a side niggle, produced the first chance of the day in the second over - Kyle Mayers chased a wide ball getting wider and a thick outside edge went high over Vikramjit Singh at gully, who got a single hand to it but could only take the pace off. In his next he came close to pulling off an extraordinary return catch, a low one hander to his right that just kissed the pitch before settling in his palm. Kingma himself seemed unsure but unconvinced, and an umpire review proved him right. The Dutch seamers would suffer as the shine came off however, Ryan Klein taken for 13 in the ninth over, and Kingma's long-standing no ball issues returned, having first overstepped in the fourth over and then twice in the tenth, as Mayers cashed in with a crushing flat six over extra cover off the first and the second bringing up the fifty partnership as the West Indies began to accelerate. The introduction of Bas de Leede again brought the breakthrough, striking with his third ball rushing Shai Hope on the pull to bring Brooks to the crease at 58-1, but the home crowd would have a long wait before they got anything else to cheer for. Mayers quickly got the measure of de Leede's extra yard of pace, pulling him twice to the rope in the 16th - first through midwicket and then through backward square - prompting the Dutch to turn to spin. The introduction of Aryan Dutt's offspin seemed to briefly unsettle the pair - Mayers narrowly surviving a review for LBW in the 17th, while Brooks' objection to a similar appeal was born out in Dutt's next. By then Mayers had moved to fifty however, and the young spinner's day would get no better either with Brooks twice lofting him for six over long off in the 21st over. Seelaar himself would go no better, likewise having an LBW appeal on Brooks overturned on review off his first delivery only for the batter to slog sweep him over cow corner in his next. Kingma was brought back for the 26th, but his return only saw the hosts fortunes worsen. He made the mistake of going short to Mayers and was deposited over backward square and into the hospitality tents, and as insult to injury, he had overstepped again. The free hit was driven for four down the ground and two balls later another short ball was whipped away over backward square, almost hitting none other than Kingma, who looked entirely unimpressed with his son's efforts. Mayers brought up the hundred partnership soon after, driving Seelaar to long on, while Brooks swept the next ball square for four as the wheels began to come off entirely for the hosts. By the time the chance came the heads were so far down in the field that it inevitably went begging - Brooks mistimed the drive and the ball floating low to O'Dowd at mid off who could not cling on. Equally inevitably the error was immediately punished as Mayers thumped Seelaar over long on for six two balls later, prompting a ball hunt and drinks with the Windies flying at 181-1. Brooks brought up the 200 in the 36th over stroking Dutt out to long off for a single, and Mayers reached his century in Dutt's next with a similar shot. In between boundaries had been flying and by the time the second wicket finally fell, Mayers pulling Klein high with the wind toward the midwicket boundary where de Leede was waiting, the Windies were already past 240 with nine overs to go. Dutt at least was able to pop the West Indies captain right back in his pocket, dismissing him for the third time in three matches. Nicholas Pooran, again playing back and across, was pinned in front for just 7 and was given something of a send-off by a young Dutch fan that somehow eluded the stewards. The hosts rallied somewhat thereafter as the seamers did a remarkable job spiking the Windies guns and averting the expected onslaught at the death. Just two boundaries came in the final eight overs and as many wickets fell. Van Beek took a feather of a top edge off the pull to remove Brandon King on review in the 45th, and Akeal Hosein pulled Kingma into the hands of Musa Ahmad at deep midwicket in the next over. It wasn't enough to stop the tourists from passing 300, however, nor to deny Brooks his century. Those final few overs had kept the hosts with just the barest hint of a chance at the break, but it would take a record chase on this ground to pull it off with a line-up bereft of the experience of several senior bats. But Singh and O'Dowd again started promisingly at the top. O'Dowd drove Hosein handsomely through extra for four from his first delivery to dissuade Pooran from his initial gambit of spin at one end, but the cycling seamers did little better with Singh and O'Dowd finding the rope almost every over of the powerplay, posting another fifty partnership to take the Dutch to 58 without loss by the time the field spread. Lewis had come close to breaking the partnership at 57 as Singh drove low just inside of short extra cover but Brooks could not hold on. Up until the first drinks break the hosts seemed well on track, as Singh welcomed Hosein back into the attack with two lofted drives dead straight back over the bowlers head and finally reached fifty after twice falling in the 40s in the series. At 98 without loss at drinks the first hints of hope might have crept in, but the interruption seemingly broke Singh's concentration. The first ball back he dragged Mayers back onto his stumps from outside off. Musa Ahmad put in his best innings yet from number three as his run-a-ball 42 kept the Dutch up with the rate even as O'Dowd began to slow after passing the fifty-mark. O Dowd seemed to get bogged entirely down after Ahmad's departure, the latter pinned in front by Hayden Walsh in the 30th with the Dutch well set at 167-2, leaving Bas de Leede to force the pace from the off. De Leede added 25 off 24, an overhand slap for six off Lewis being the highlight, before a top-edged sweep off Hosein saw him depart in the 38th. The left arm spinner, who had been the tourists' stand out all series, then put the Windies back in control when he clean bowled O'Dowd eleven short of a ton in the 43rd. He departed for 89 off 121, with his last sixty runs coming at a strike rate under 70, leaving the lower order with an asking rate in double digits. Scott Edwards was the first to go, looking to hit the Dutch back into the game, caught at short third on the reverse with 6.2 overs to go and 65 to get. Teja Nidamanuru and Logan van Beek ran hard off each ball but could not find the rope. Nidamanuru eventually fell for eight sending up a skier off Seales that came down all too easily for Hope. Skipper Pieter Seelaar came out swinging, putting his first ball from Seales back hard and straight for six into the sight-screen, but with 40 needed off the last three overs the Dutch needed little less than a miracle. Seelaar did his best to deliver, swinging gamely for the fences even as van Beek fell victim to a bullet throw from the deep by Walsh, but it was not to be. The Dutch captain went on the first ball of the 50th, a top edged pull dropping back for Lewis in the follow-through, and Ryan Klein's similarly spirited innings ended after two balls as Lewis put one past his swing and into the stumps. Last man Kingma likewise swung for the ropes only to send up a top edge of his own and be duly caught behind the wicket, as the Windies claiming the win by 20 runs and the series 3-0. Brief scores: West Indies 308/5 in 50 overs (Kyle Mayers 120, Shamarh Brooks 101*; Aryan Dutt 1-44) beat the Netherlands 288 in 49.5 overs (Max O'Dowd 89, Vikramjit Singh 54; Shermon Lewis 3-67) by 20 runs.