Brandon King’s 91 not out and Keacy Carty’s 43 not out, respectively, in an unbeaten 118-run sixth-wicket stand, rescued West Indies from 99 for 5 and guided them to a series triumph against Netherlands in Amstelveen. With five wickets in hand, King followed up his unbroken 51-ball 58* in the first ODI with another half-century, and he found superb company in Carty as the duo chased down a target of 215 with five wickets in hand.
After Akeal Hosein’s career-best 4 for 39 helped the Netherlands fall to 10 for 113, the West Indies would have hoped for a much easier chase. Fast bowlers Logan van Beek and Bas de Leede, on the other hand, fashioned their own collapse to threaten an upset in the second ODI.
However, King and Carty did an excellent job of reviving the chase. While King was more daring with his shots, Carty, who was playing his second ODI, took his time settling in before opening up his shoulders as the visitors strolled to victory with 27 balls to spare.
Vikramjit Singh and Max O’Dowd, who chose to bat first, created a good foundation for the Netherlands with a 101-run opening stand. In terms of run production, both batters went toe-to-toe. In the fourth over, Vikramjit blasted Alzarri Joseph over the slip cordon before smashing the same bowler through mid-off for the hosts’ first boundary. Kyle Mayers was selected through the backward square leg region for a four by O’Dowd, who then drove him down the ground in his following over. It didn’t help that West Indies lost both openers for three runs in the first 15 overs, allowing Netherlands to maintain a consistent run pace.
The Netherlands reached 100 in the 21st over, but from there it was all downhill for them. As in the first ODI, the spinners, Hayden Walsh and Hosein, were the cause of their demise. When Vikramjit pushed a harmless, tossed-up ball straight back at Hosein for 46, he was the first to leave. While O’Dowd reached his fourth ODI half-century, he was bowled by Hosein with a short-of-a-length delivery that crept quite low.
Netherlands lost their way when both set hitters were ejected. Hosein returned de Leede for a 0 before Musa Ahmed was taken by Nkrumah Bonner for a 7. Hosein then took his fourth wicket, dismissing Teja Nidamanuru for 4, and the Netherlands were reduced to 159 for 5.
Batting at No. 3, Scott Edwards did his best to push his team to a decent total, but he didn’t get much help. He made 68 off 89 balls and was the last wicket to go as the hosts were unable to complete their 50-over innings. Hosein was the best bowler for the West Indies, while Joseph finished with two wickets.
Shamarh Brooks and Shai Hope fell in the first ten overs, putting the West Indies’ chase on the back foot. While van Beek collected Brooks for 6 at first slip, de Leede smashed Hope’s stumps with a spectacular in-dipper for 18. De Leede struck again, catching Bonner for 15, while Nicholas Pooran hauled Aryan Dutt back onto his stumps after hitting him for a six a few deliveries before.
For the visitors, King and Mayers forged a fightback, but when the latter fell on 22, with the team score at 99, Netherlands would have sniffed an upset. King, on the other hand, made sure he didn’t lose his concentration. He never let the Netherlands bowlers bowl too many dot balls, and he kept the boundaries flowing even when Carty failed to rotate the strike. The Netherlands misfired on a couple of run-out attempts, but the two West Indian batters offered nothing in the way of chances.
King was named Player of the Match for his knock, which included nine fours and three sixes.
