Netherlands vs Ireland 1st ODI Predictions and Series Preview

The first thing most people think of when they hear Netherlands versus Ireland in cricket is almost certainly that Sylhet massacre, but rest assured that ODIs between the teams have been no less action-packed. Although Ireland have had the lion’s share of wins, there have been a couple of close calls, with two single-digit run defenses and a tie. Both teams will not only want some of the spoils, but with Cricket World Cup Super League points for the taking, this is bound to be a hard-fought series. Before green and orange clash on the field, let’s take a look at the two sides.

Netherlands

Full squad for ODI series vs Ireland

Pieter Seelaar (c), Musa Ahmed, Philippe Boissevain, Ben Cooper, Bas de Leede, Scott Edwards (wk), Brandon Glover, Vivian Kingma, Fred Klaassen, Stephan Myburgh, Max O’Dowd, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Tobias Visee, Saqib Zulfiqar.

Netherlands predicted XI for 1st ODI vs Ireland

Pieter Seelaar (c), Philippe Boissevain, Ben Cooper, Scott Edwards (wk), Brandon Glover, Vivian Kingma, Stephan Myburgh, Max O’Dowd, Logan van Beek, Tobias Visee, Saqib Zulfiqar.

Netherlands team preview and form

• Pieter Seelar, the experienced bowling all-rounder, will remain the captain for the Dutch.

• Max O’Dowd and Scott Edwards will be two young batting talents Ireland will want to watch out for, especially with no Tom Cooper in the squad anymore.

• Stephan Myburgh and Ben Cooper are also capable of destructive batting, although they haven’t seen much action in a while.

• Rising stars Vivian Kingma and Fred Klaassen will have to shine brighter to trouble the experienced Irishmen.

• Although a tied series against the Scots is the only ODI action the Dutch have had in the last two years, they did have some success against the likes of Zimbabwe and Nepal in the two years prior. 

Netherlands key players for 1st ODI vs Ireland

Max O’Dowd: A promising cricketer who could very well turn out to be the David that the Netherlands need to take down the Irish Goliath.

Stephan Myburgh: No stranger to the Irish, Myburgh will have to draw from experience and put up a good performance.

Vivian Kingma: A brilliant show against the Scots lands this young bowler on our crosshairs.

Pieter Seelar: Although not a prolific bowler, Seelar has nevertheless taken more wickets than anyone else on this squad. 

Ireland

Full squad for ODI series vs Netherlands

Andy Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Graeme McCarter, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, William Porterfield, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Craig Young, Ben White.

Ireland predicted XI for 1st ODI vs Netherlands

Andy Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Kevin O’Brien, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Craig Young.

Ireland team preview and form 

• Andrew Balbirnie is back to lead the team despite poor recent results.

• The experienced Porterfield and Dockrell have been called back into the squad, with little justification for the former’s presence.

• Paul Stirling’s scintillating form will most likely continue against the greenhorn Dutch bowlers.

• Simi Singh and George Dockrell will both be vital to the Irish cause considering the absence of Curtis Campher and the spin-friendly Utrecht pitch.

• It’s been a year of ups and downs for the second-most successful team from the British Isles, and they’ll be looking to improve those stats in this series.

Ireland key players for 1st ODI vs Netherlands

Paul Stirling: A rock-solid batter under any circumstances, Stirling is a no-brainer for this list.

Harry Tector: This could easily turn out to be Lorcan Tucker or Kevin O’Brien, but we’re putting the money on Tector.

Simi Singh: After some inspiring performances recently, Simi will have to step up once again.

George Dockrell: Experience is key, and Dockrell has plenty.

Netherlands vs Ireland head to head

When we said the results look one-sided for Ireland, we weren’t kidding. Wins for the dutch are outnumbered 7 to 1, and the only silver lining for them is that while that win was long ago, the last match between them was tied. That being said, that match was in 2013 so that was also long ago.

Netherlands vs Ireland 1st ODI pitch report and weather conditions

Little information is available about the Sportpark Maarschalkeweerd in Utrecht, with the only two top level matches ever having taken place there having been played between Germany and Italy on the same day 2 years ago. By those statistics, the ground seems to be favouring bowlers in general - especially spinners - although good batting isn’t totally off the cards. Expect teams to bowl first, and those batting first to target 150+. 

With little chance of rain, a happy reading on the thermometer, and a cool breeze blowing, the weather in Utrecht will be excellent for cricket. 

Can the Netherlands cause an upset against an old but much-improved adversary? Or will the Irish put their associate opponents in place with some full-member supremacy? Find out if our Netherlands vs Ireland 1st ODI predictions come true on Wednesday!