Fantasy Preview: Netherlands vs West Indies, 3rd ODI

The Netherlands will take on West Indies in the third and final One-Day International at the VRA Cricket Ground in Amstelveen on Saturday (June 4). The Men in Maroon have already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series but this match won’t be a dead rubber considering this series is a part of the ODI Super League. The Netherlands have looked good in patches but they still have to fire on all cylinders if they want to get the better of Nicholas Pooran and his men.

Ground details and team combination

The surface at the VRA Cricket Ground has something to offer for both batters and bowlers. In this series, the batters have operated at an average of 36.8, while a wicket has fallen every 43.7 deliveries. Akeal Hosein has been in pretty good form and he is the biggest reason why spinners here have better numbers than fast bowlers. It would be ideal to have at least two spinners in your team, and probably, as many West Indies players as possible.

Team selection

While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI. 

Captain selection

Shai Hope could prove to be a safe bet when it comes to picking your captain. The right-handed opener could only score 18 in the second ODI but slammed a stunning unbeaten century in the first encounter. The 28-year-old averages over 51 in the 50-over format and has been West Indies’ most prolific run-scorer in this format for a couple of years. He’s a run-machine, so rest easy and make him your skipper.

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Hope to score 28-42 runs in the third ODI.

X-factors

Hope’s counterpart, Vikramjit Singh, has been in fine form in the 50-over format too. Vikramjit, in the first ODI, fell 3 short of his fifty, but ended with the second-highest score for the Dutch. In the second encounter, the opener slammed 46 and would now be eager to finish this series with a big score. Certainly, it’s worth taking a punt on him.

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Vikramjit to score 42-62 runs in the third ODI.

Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has been in superb form in this series. The 29-year-old claimed two wickets in the first ODI and followed it up with a four-wicket haul in the second match. In fact, amongst the top-10 ODIs nations, no other bowler has picked up more wickets than Hosein since 2021. In this time frame, Hosein has scalped 28 wickets in 16 innings at an average of 22.2 and a strike rate of 30.7.

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Hosein to pick up 0-1 wicket in the third ODI.

Probable XIs

Netherlands: Max O'Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Musa Ahmed, Scott Edwards (wk), Bas de Leede, Pieter Seelaar (c), Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Shariz Ahmad.

West Indies: Shai Hope (wk), Shamarh Brooks, Nkrumah Bonner, Nicholas Pooran (c), Brandon King, Keacy Carty, Kyle Mayers, Alzarri Joseph, Hayden Walsh, Akeal Hosein, Anderson Phillip.