Ireland earned a solid five-wicket win over the Netherlands in the second warm-up match as they gear up for next month’s ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers.
After winning the toss, captain William Porterfield put the Dutch side into bat, and they put up a good showing, hitting 264-7 from their 50 overs.
For Ireland, the pick of the bowlers was Boyd Rankin (4-38), ably supported by Andy McBrine (2-57).
Setting out with run rate required of 5.30 runs per over, the Ireland team comfortably posted 265-5 to claim victory.
Andrew Balbirnie (97 from 105 balls) and Gary Wilson (89 from 65 balls) ensured the total was reached in confident style.
"It was a decent pitch but if you hit a back of a length it was tricky enough to score," said Wilson.
"The guys batting up front did the job and therefore it was easier when I came in. We are playing with a nice confidence at the minute but we have to make sure we make the most of that confidence and really turn the screw when we get the opportunity. It had the potential to be a tricky chase but in the end we played well.
"Graham [Ford] is all about giving players confidence. I think the win against Afghanistan pre-Christmas has really helped - knowing we can win against them in tough conditions, that bodes well for us."
Ireland next play Scotland on Tuesday.
