Tom Latham on his birthday produced a master class as he single-handedly took the game away from the Netherlands. Few overs into the game all the pressure was on New Zealand as they were at 5 down for just 32 runs. With wickets tumbling early, Latham stood up and played a captains knock.

Netherlands looked much better this time around. Opening bowlers Klassen and Van Beek rocked New Zealand early, and could have closed out the game had it not been for a Tom Latham epic. Latham’s innings progression was rather special. He started patiently, didn’t look for too many boundaries, but once the bowlers came in to bat, Tom Latham unleashed his power game. He scored a handful of his runs in the midwicket region, and showed that he has a power game as well.

In reply, Netherlands started well. They had an partnership of 77 and threatened to cause an upset with a relatively small target ahead of them, but wickets kept falling around the partnership and that took the game away from the Netherlands. Barring a couple of thirties, there were a lot of single digit scores as Netherlands collapsed without showing any competitive spirit.

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From 86-2, Netherlands went to 146 all-out, ending any hope of them extending the series. They did have some bright spots though. The bowling was brilliant up front, as New Zealand struggled against the moving ball. Along with Tom Latham, New Zealand found capable batters in the lower-order. Colin De Grandhomme shedded his normal aggressive style and batted patiently for his 16, while Bracewell and Sodhi batted at a brisk pace making solid scores.

For now, the series is sealed and the final game will allow New Zealand to try new players. The next game is Ross Taylor’s last as he calls curtains on a career that has gone on for more than 17 years. His career has seen him grow into the best New Zealand batter, and he has some illustrious numbers for the team.

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New Zealand’s bowlers did a fine job as well, attacking the Netherlands batters as a group. Each of the bowlers took a fair number of wickets while Bracewell was again the pick of the bowlers with a three four to break Netherland’s back. Despite the batting struggles, New Zealand will take a lot of positives from this game. They managed to bat fifty overs despite a dismal start, and defended a middling score with ease.

Netherlands may have lost, but they will be encouraged with the latest news. They have a few more games in this series and later in the year, a home series against New Zealand has been scheduled. While Netherlands are a long way from competing, they will be happy to see that they have opportunities to go well and will want to finish the final ODI off in style.