Roy and Buttler power England to ODI clean sweep over Netherlands

On a new pitch in Amstelveen, England made short work of the Netherlands, runs flowing as frequently as the airlines coming into land overhead as Jason Roy and Jos Buttler hurly burlied them along to an eight-wicket win with 119 balls to spare.

So quick was the hitting, so solid was the base from the off, that it came as a complete surprise when Phil Salt was bowled by one that dipped in and clipped the top of leg stump, one short of a very quick half-century. When Dawid Malan followed two balls later, for a duck, bowled round his legs attempting a kind of leg-side heave, Paul van Meekeren sprinted across the outfield as if he’d just nodded in a hat-trick in the World Cup final.

But that was as far as the jeopardy went. Buttler emerged at four, in the ever-adaptable England ODI batting order. A quick eye up of proceedings then off he went, sweep, drive, then greedier, six into the stands and fours in successive balls off Aryan Dutt. Roy meanwhile passed another fifty, in 47 balls, this series helping to put those “dark times,” he mentioned experiencing at the Pakistan Super League into the past.

Roy was dropped, a straightforward caught and bowled, by Fred Klaassen and then shimmied a four straight down the ground. But it was hot out there, and by the 29th over Buttler had had enough of being cooked. A Van Meekeren over was butchered: for two huge sixes, one square nearly clearing the stands, one very long, a four and then Buttler took a couple of steps to the leg-side to griddle pan a hooping no-ball that bounced twice over fine leg. But the stand-in captain was sensitive enough not to prevent his opener from getting his century and Roy reached his hundred off 86 balls before Buttler finished things off with a six.

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