Ireland Women whitewash Netherlands in T20I series on back of Rebecca Stokell-Sophie MacMahon show

AMSTELVEEN, Netherlands –Rebecca Stokell produced a Player of the Match performance as Ireland Women beat the Netherlands in a thrilling T20 International, a result that also saw Ireland secure a 3-0 series victory.

Stokell scored 33* not out in a fifth-wicket half-century partnership alongside Sophie McMahon. With the Netherlands having posted 116-6 Ireland got off to a slow start, with two wickets falling in the first five overs – Amy Hunter trapped lbw, and Orla Prendergast stumped by Babette de Leede.

Prendergast was hit on the front grill of her helmet not long beforehand, but following a physio inspection she was deemed ok to continue. The game looked to be turning in the Netherlands' favour at 47-3 when Robine Rijke removed Lewis with a pearler of a delivery which bounced into the right-gander and smashed middle-stump.

But Ireland’s middle-order came up trumps, even if Stokell rode her luck on numerous occasions throughout her innings. She was dropped by Phebe Molkenboer twice in two balls and also survived a stumping appeal.

Molkenboer did manage to remove captain Laura Delany in the 13th over with Ireland 69-4. With Ireland still requiring 20 off the last 17 balls Stokell and MacMahon continued to take their scores, and MacMahon scored the winning runs with a sweep shot towards long-leg to seal the win.

Earlier on, the Netherlands posted a half-century partnership of their own, through opener Iris Zwilling and Babette de Leede. Unfortunately for the Netherlands, Zwilling got her partner run out in the 11^th over by Prendergast - running a single that wasn’t really on.

Ireland’s bowlers stepped up and restricted the Netherlands in the middle overs, as they scored just 12 runs scored in the space of 23 balls. Zwilling went on to bring up her maiden T20I half-century with a single in the 17th over, before eventually falling to a boundary catch by Dempsey off the bowling of Delany.

Arlene Kelly – the leading wicket-taker in the series – took care of the tail, helped in no small part by wicket-keeper Hunter, who claimed three stumpings in the game as the Netherlands finished on 116-6. 

MATCH SUMMARY

Netherlands Women v Ireland Women, 3^rd T20 International, VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen, Netherlands, 17 August 2023

Netherlands 116-6 (20 overs; I Zwilling 56, B de Leede 14; A Kelly 2-20)

Ireland 119-4 (19.1 overs; R Stokell 33*, S MacMahon 23*; R Rijke 1-10)

Ireland won by 6 wickets