In the first of the two clashes of the day, Netherlands will tackle Irish men. This is also going to mark the first game for Group A, which also includes Sri Lanka and Namibia. While the Netherlands possesses more experience, the Irish team has seen a rise in young talented players.
Although Ireland is mostly made up of young and upcoming players, the bulk of the batting load rests on the shoulders of an experienced top-order. Paul Stirling is the most in-form player for the Irish outfit and has smoked 371 runs in the last 11 innings, including multiple half-centuries. He will be joined by Kevin O’Brien and the duo has scored at 8.59 RPO ever since Kevin joined Stirling at the top. Skipper Andy Balbirnie comes after the fall of the first wicket and his experience and batting smarts are always a plus.
The middle-order is a bit inexperienced with Gareth Delany, Curtis Campher, and Harry Tector, however, all three have shown more than decent composure. In terms of bowling, Mark Adair, Josh Little, and Craig Young have shown tremendous potential and can be a challenging trio. Meanwhile, spinner Simi Singh has shown the ability to choke out runs and also take wickets, however, the fifth bowler Campher and part-timers can be an Achilles Heel, though Curtis has shown in ODIs that he can shore up his bowling too.
For the Netherlands, there is a lot of experience in all aspects. Max O’Dowd, Stephan Myburgh, Ben Cooper, and Bas de Leede along with Pieter Seelaar and Ryan Ten Deoschete who can put up a great fight with the bat. A lot may rest on Max’s shoulders who is coming as the most in-form batter, making 172 runs in 4 innings. Scott Edwards, the wicketkeeping batsman, can also hit big shots and may as well be the “X-Factor” for them.
The bowlers in Fred Klassen, Timm van der Gugten, and Logan van Beek combine for a formidable pace attack while the highly experienced spin duo of Pieter Seelaar and Reolef van der Merwe has done a choke job on Ireland earlier. Both the batting and bowling are more experienced than the Irish outfit and it will not be a surprise if Irish men struggle against the Dutch team, however, this may also be the dawn of a new era for Ireland.