An unbeaten knock of 101 from Jason Roy helped England cruise to an eight-wicket victory in the third one-day international against the Netherlands on Wednesday, sealing a 3-0 series success in the process.
Roy reached his century off just 86 balls and he was ably supported by stand-in captain Jos Buttler, who blasted 86 off 64 balls, including a game-sealing six as England reached their target of 245 inside 31 overs.
The tourists had earlier won the toss and opted to bowl first in Amstelveen, a decision that proved shrewd as the Dutch were all out for 244 despite a spirited knock of 64 from Scott Edwards.
David Willey was the pick of the England bowlers, posting figures of 4-36, as Matthew Mott’s team then proceeded to make lightwork of their chase, with Roy and fellow opener Phil Salt putting on 85 for the opening wicket before the latter fell just one short of his half century.
England did lose the wicket of Dawid Malan for a two-ball duck soon after, but that brought Buttler to the crease, with the tourists taking complete control from there.
Buttler was captaining England in the absence of regular skipper Eoin Morgan, who missed the match with a groin injury, which meant he was denied the opportunity to atone for the two ducks he scored in the previous two contests.
That has all led to further speculation regarding Morgan’s future as skipper, but Buttler was keeping his focus on the efforts of the team following Wednesday’s win, as he praised the strength and depth England have within their ranks (England 3/1 – World Cup 2023 Outright).
“Very happy. Another great victory, and I thought we played really well,” Buttler told Sky Sports. “I thought with the ball, to restrict them… we picked up wickets at crucial times. And it was a brilliant batting display again.
“There’s a lot of cricket coming in a short space of time, which is very exciting. We’ve got great depth in the squad, more guys standing up on this trip and pushing the competition in the squad which is just what we want to see.”
A busy summer of cricket continues for England on Thursday, as the third Test against New Zealand is due to get underway at Headingley (England EVS, Draw 9/4, New Zealand 11/4 – Match Winner).
