Queensland XI v Netherlands Game 1
T20 World Cup Warm-ups
Tuesday 4 October 2022 at Norman Gray Oval
With the T20 World Cup just around the corner, it was time for some practice. A Queensland XI was assembled at Fehlburg Park, the home of South Brisbane DCC, for three warm-up games against the Netherlands. The first of these was on Tuesday 4 October. Netherlands won the toss and chose to bat.
Stephan Myburg and Max O’Dowd smacked seven boundaries to advance Netherlands to 1/40 from the first six, but just two balls after the powerplay, Connor Sully took the edge of Myburg’s bat for a regulation catch to keeper, Isaiah Snell. Three overs later, Vikram Singh’s attempt to launch Matt Kuhnemann over the midwicket fence, was intercepted by a fine running catch by Max Bryant and when Bas De Leede tried to do a similar thing in Kuhnemann’s next over, Hugo Burdon got in the way, catching then lobbing to himself as he stepped over the boundary and back into the field of play. O’Dowd and skipper Scott Edwards savaged Burdon for 18 from the next over before they became Kuhnemann’s 3rd and 4th victims in his final over; O’ Dowd bowled for 42 and Edwards caught by Hugo Burdon, low and coming forward, at deep backward square leg. Tim Pringle and Roelof Van Der Merwe had added 24 from 19 and when Van der Merwe clubbed Matt Willans towards mid-off it looked like it would be 28 from 20, but somehow Max Bryant plucked it out of the air and Netherlands were 6/118. The frenzy had started. Four balls later, Guthrie took Logan Van Beek’s glove and the ball popped up to Sully at short fine leg. An attempted second went awry three balls after that thanks to a sensational flat throw by Sam Heazlett to Matt Willans. Then, in the final over Xavier Bartlett had Pringle caught at deep mid-wicket by Guthrie and followed it up with the run out of Van Meekeren attempting to steel a single from the next ball. Netherlands were all out for 135 from 19.4 overs.
The chase started badly for Queensland with Josh Brown edging to Edwards off Fred Klassen in the first over. Max Bryant got a hold of Bas De Leede in the 4th over, smacking three consecutive boundaries, but it was 2/26 just two balls later when Heazlett slashed at one from Klassen and was caught on the boundary at third man; Klassen two wicket-maidens 😲 in a T20 😲. Skipper, Sam Truloff smacked a boundary then was promptly trapped in front by Paul Van Meekeren to make it 3/31. Bryant and Hugo Burdon restored some order, adding 36 from the next five overs before Bryant, having just reached 50 from 33 balls, also succumbed LBW; this time to the wily Van der Merwe. Cricket loves irony though. Burdon pumped Van der Merwe for 15 from his next over to take the Bulls to 88; 47 behind with 7 to go. The spin of Shariz Ahmad was too much temptation for Xavier Bartlett who attempted to loft him over long on only to find Fred Klassen’s safe hands. Judicious hitting by Burdon and Isaiah Snell advanced the Qld cause to 110 at the end of the 16th. Just 26 from 24 required. On 2/0 from two overs, Klassen returned in the 17th over. He was 3/0 after two balls when Snell was caught by Van Meekeren and 4/3 by the end of the over when Willans popped one up to mid-off to be caught by O’Dowd. In the next over, Van Meekeren followed up his catch with the wicket of Burdon for 38, caught on the boundary by Shariz Ahmad to make it 8/115 and when Klassen picked up his 5th via an O’Dowd catch five balls later, Queensland had lost 4/6 from 15 balls and Klassen had the remarkable figures of 5/5 from 4 overs. With one wicket in hand, Qld could only manage 4 of the 18 required from the final over.
Netherlands taking the honours in Game 1.
