Netherlands

The West Indies will play matches on May 31, June 2 and June 4 in what will be their first-ever ODI series against the Dutch side and Pooran believes his players need to be in the correct frame of mind.

“Obviously, we don’t want to be complacent. We just saw the Netherlands play New Zealand and they did well,” said Pooran in a pre-match press conference on Monday.

“They didn’t get a win but, as a team, they played really well. They have some good players.”

Pooran, who recently ended a stint for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, will be in charge in his first assignment as full-time West Indies ODI captain and provided some insight as to how he plans to lead.

“I’ll try to make the best decisions for the team. I’m very instinctive so a lot of my decisions you guys may not like but, hopefully, it will be the right decision for the team at that point in time. It’s similar to my batting so, hopefully, that goes well,” he said.

As for tomorrow’s game, Pooran says the team is prepared for battle.

“I believe that we’re ready to play. We’ve been here a couple days now and getting used to the weather. We came here to be successful and get some wins on under our belt to get some points so, hopefully, things can go our way and we can do the right things,” said Pooran.

The match is expected to begin at 4:00 am in Jamaica, 5:00 am ECT.

Just two days on from their agonising one-run loss to South Africa, Nepal had another high-profile side on the ropes as Bangladesh were skittled for just 106.

No Bangladesh player made more than Shakib Al Hasan's 17 runs as Dipendra Singh Airee (2-22), Rohit Paudel (2-20) and Sandeep Lamichhane (2-17) all impressed with the ball. 

However, a blistering opening spell from Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who finished with career-best T20I figures of 4-7 – ensured that measly figure was enough. 

Tanzim got the ball rolling by dismissing Kushal Bhurtel and Anil Sah within three third-over deliveries, then had Paudel and Sundeep Jora caught as Nepal fell to 26-5.

Kushal Malla steadied the ship somewhat, but his match-high 27 runs came off 40 deliveries as Mustafizur Rahman (3-7) and Shakib (2-9) bowled efficiently, the former's ball accounting for his dismissal as he looped a shot to Najmul Hossain Shanto at mid off.

Nepal went into the final over needing 22 to see a spirited performance rewarded with a victory, but their final two wickets fell from the first two balls as Bangladesh clinched second place in Group D, behind South Africa.

That result ended the Netherlands' hopes of progression, and their tournament ended with a whimper as they suffered an 81-run defeat to Sri Lanka in Kingstown.

Sri Lanka set a daunting target of 202 – the joint-highest of the tournament to date, alongside Australia versus England – with Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka making 46 runs apiece, the latter hitting five sixes off 21 balls.

The demoralised Dutch fell well short in their chase and were all out for 118 with three overs remaining, Nuwan Thushara helping himself to a hat-trick for Sri Lanka.

Data Debrief: Paltry total enough for Bangladesh

Bangladesh supporters might have been twitchy when they limped to just 106 against a Nepal team who have threatened an upset repeatedly at this tournament, but some composed bowling ensured it was enough.

Their tally of 106 runs was the lowest to ever be successfully defended at a T20 World Cup.

Not only do Bangladesh take one step closer to the Super 8s with their emphatic victory, but they also ensure Sri Lanka are knocked out, while the Netherlands need a string of results to go in their favour.

The Tigers looked to be up against it after the Netherlands' strong start, as Liton Das made an early exit for just one run thanks to Sybrand Engelbrecht's diving catch.

However, Tanzid Hassan hit 35 off 26 balls, while Shakib Al Hasan plundered an impressive 64 not out, effectively taking control of the game.

Mahmudullah's 25 just about saw them over the line before Jaker Ali closed with 14 not out to see them to 159-5.

The Netherlands soon found their stride after losing two early wickets of their own and looked to be comfortably chasing down their target through Vikramjit Singh (26) and Engelbrecht (33).

Rishad Hossain soon intervened for Bangladesh though, finishing on 3-33 as the Flying Dutchmen lost four middle-order wickets for six runs and finished with 134-8.

Data Debrief: Bangladesh just too strong

Bangladesh narrowly missed out on a win against high-flying South Africa in their last game, but a win like this is exactly what they needed to get back on track.

Al Hasen was the standout, making a marked improvement on his three runs from the defeat to South Africa with a superb knock of 64 off 46 balls, including nine fours.

While the 2019 champions have endured a miserable World Cup, sitting rock bottom in 10th place after seven games, the only associate nation at the competition have exceeded expectations with victory over Bangladesh and a famous upset of South Africa.

They meet in Pune on Wednesday with qualification for the next global 50-over tournament potentially on the line – something England would have taken for granted just weeks ago before their campaign crumbled.

Breaking into the Champions Trophy would be a striking achievement for the Dutch and one De Leede, who plays for Durham, believes is within their grasp if England succumb to the tension of their situation.

“As a title-defending team there is a huge pressure on you straight away, especially when you don’t get a great start, and I’m sure there is added pressure for them now on this game,” he told the PA news agency.

“For us it’s a privilege to be playing for a spot in the Champions Trophy, for them it’s an expectation to finish at least in the top eight.

“It’s a massive opportunity, 100 per cent. It’s in the back of our heads that if we do manage to win this game it would help enormously to qualify and that would be huge for Dutch cricket.

“Of course England are a dangerous side, they have such quality in the batting and bowling departments, but two wins in this campaign is pretty good for us and we feel as a group there is more out there for us.

“The proof is there in the South Africa game. To see what we have been practising come off against a team like that was great to see and gave us a lot of confidence as a team.”

De Leede, who has taken more wickets than any English bowler with 11 so far, is also embracing the chance to strike a blow against a system that frequently cuts out those who do not have full member status as ICC level.

The abandonment of the World Cup Super League format means the Netherlands no longer have mandatory games against the biggest names and will instead slip back into a structure that pits them against the likes of Namibia, Nepal, Scotland and Canada.

“Getting games against the bigger nations is very hard for us. It’s hard to get teams to play us so we’ve got to force them to, that’s the only way,” he said.

“If we did qualify for the Champions Trophy it would secure another seven games against the best teams. That how we keep progressing as a national team and it’s in our hands.

“We kind of felt like we were gate-crashing here so to come through would be massive.”

Needing to win both matches against the Dutch and hope Ireland lose at least one of their three matches against Bangladesh in May in order to qualify automatically for the World Cup, which will be held in India later this year, the Proteas eased to victory on Friday.

This ODI was the second of a three-match series that was supposed to take place in late 2021, but was postponed because of concerns over a COVID-19 variant. The first match ended with no result.

The importance of the match was reflected in the strong squad chosen by South Africa, with Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada included despite their imminent IPL commitments.

Nortje played a key role in restricting the Netherlands to 189 all out despite scores of 45 and 48 from Vikramijit Singh and Teja Nidamanuru respectively, taking 2/24 off his eight overs while Sisanda Magala and Tabraiz Shamsi picked up three wickets each.

It was the Netherlands' second-highest ODI score against South Africa, but the Proteas cruised to the winning total regardless as Bavuma's sublime innings (90 not out from 79 balls) helped them to victory.

Aiden Markram chipped in with a half-century off just 37 balls, though it was his captain who finished the job as Bavuma smashed the ball back past bowler Ryan Klein for four to seal the win.

With their semi-final chances a distant memory, both sides still had plenty to play for, with a place at the 2025 Champions Trophy the prize for a top-eight finish, and England had Stokes to thank for their putting them in the box seat.

At 192 for six they were making life extremely difficult for themselves, but Stokes raced through the gears to do the hard work his side so badly needed.

Having ground out a hard-working fifty in 58 deliveries, he exploded into life and took just 20 more to reach his fifth ODI century in a display of power-hitting that helped bring 114 runs in the last 10 overs.

Despite not hitting any boundaries as he dug in between the 29th and the 43rd, he finished with six sixes and six fours before holing out with two balls left.

Coming off the back of five demoralising defeats in a row, Stokes produced a show of skill and character that reinforced his status as his team’s “spiritual leader” – a title first uttered by under-pressure head coach Matthew Mott during his spell on the injured list at the start of the tournament.

Former England seamer Steve Harmison, Stokes’ close friend and former Durham team-mate, called on England to send the 32-year-old home ahead of this match to accelerate his forthcoming knee surgery, but it is hard to see who could have provided the impetus had they done so.

Chris Woakes provided good support as he made 51 in a seventh-wicket of stand of 129 with Stokes, while Dawid Malan (87) was on course for a ton of his own until a silly run out cost him.

England had bossed the opening exchanges, Malan pounding out 10 boundaries in a 36-ball fifty in the powerplay, and even papered over Jonny Bairstow’s sloppy dismissal for 15 via a top edge.

The score was 133 for one when Joe Root attempted, for the second time, one of his trademark reverse scoops over the wicketkeeper. The first one had raced away for four, but this time he got his timings all wrong and was clean bowled through his own legs without even committing a full swing of the bat.

Root has struggled for runs for much of the last month, but falling to a Logan van Beek nutmeg was a new one on his bingo card.

Malan, who had driven expertly and swept two big sixes off Roelof van der Merwe, then fell on his sword in the very next over.

Setting off for a single despite tapping straight to cover, he was sent back by Stokes and caught an inch out of his ground by some smart work in the field.

Suddenly England looked vulnerable again, with the recalled Harry Brook (11) pulling Bas de Leede tamely into the leg-side to fluff his opportunity back in the XI.

Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali followed for single figures, the off-form skipper picking out mid-off and his deputy arcing the softest possible catch to long-off.

Stokes grafted hard to keep the innings alive, getting his eye in before finally indulging himself at the back end.

Aryan Dutt’s last over went for 24, De Leede’s final two shipped 34 and Paul van Meekeren delivered a steady stream of wides as the pressure told.

Stokes reached his hundred with a reverse sweep and finally departed in the closing moments looking for one last blow.

The 2019 champions arrived in Pune for a bottom-of-the-table clash with a five-match losing streak behind them and the knowledge that another slip up would see them miss out on ODI cricket’s next global event in 2025.

But despite wobbling once again with the bat – going from 133 for one to 192 for six – Stokes had the will and skill to carry his side to a 160-run victory.

He struck 108 from 84 balls, grafting hard to begin with then accelerating sharply, to lift England to an imposing 339 for nine.

That was always going to be too many for a Dutch side who lacked the firepower to match Stokes and they wilted for 179 all out.

With two points and a healthy boost to their net run-rate England climbed from 10th to seventh in one jump, overtaking their opponents, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The hosts were restricted to 214 all out off 42.4 overs after winning the toss and batting first.

Scott Edwards (68), Max O’Dowd (51) and Vikramjit Singh (46) were the main run getters as Hosein ripped through the Dutch batting line-up with 4-39 off his 10 overs. Alzarri Joseph provided good support with 2-30 from eight overs.

In their chase, the West Indies found themselves in trouble at 99-5 after 23.2 overs before a match-winning and unbroken 118-run partnership between Brandon King and Keacy Carty steered the visitors to a comfortable victory.

The tourists ended up 217-5 with King getting a classy 90-ball 91 that included nine fours and three sixes. Carty was unbeaten on 43 not out off 66 balls. He hit two fours and a massive six that brought an end to the match.

Bas De Leede was the best Dutch bowler on the day with 2-46 from eight overs.

The third and final ODI will be played on Saturday.

De Leede starred with bat and ball, picking up a first ODI five-for before smashing 123 with the bat to haul the Netherlands home and punch their tickets to India later this year.

Having put Scotland into bat, Netherlands made the perfect start as Logan van Beek (1/49) struck in the first over to dismiss Matthew Cross (0).

But Scotland steadied the ship through Christopher McBride (32) and Brandon McMullen (106) before opener McBride became the first of De Leede’s five scalps, pulling straight into the hands of Van Beek at midwicket with George Munsey (9) falling shortly after.

But McMullen began to take control of the innings on the way to the second century of his career alongside Richie Berrington (64).

The pair combined for a stand of more than 150 runs to leave Scotland in rude health at 201 for four by the time McMullen was eventually caught behind by Scott Edwards off the bowling of Ryan Klein.

Klein then bowled Michael Leask (1) before De Leede removed Berrington’s middle stump, but Scotland rallied through an unbeaten 38 off 28 balls from Tomas Mackintosh as well as a useful knock from Chris Greaves (18) to set the Dutch 278 in 44 overs to book their place at the World Cup.

Netherlands began their innings quickly, with openers Max O’Dowd (20) and Vikramjit Singh (40) taking just 8.2 overs to bring up their 50 partnership, before Leask trapped O’Dowd leg before.

Leask repeated the trick in his next over, this timing sending Singh back to the hutch as Scotland began to slow the run rate.

Having starred with the bat, McMullen then made his first contribution with the ball with the wicket of Wesley Barresi (11) to leave Netherlands on 94 for three after 20 overs.

Teja Nidamanuru (10) was next to fall four overs later as Chris Greaves earned his first scalp of the afternoon but De Leede (123) and Scott Edwards (25) combined to rejuvenate the Dutch chase, bringing up 50-run stand in just 40 balls before Edwards fell to Mark Watt LBW.

De Leede then opened up, powering past 50 in 55 balls before reaching his century in just 84 alongside Zulfiqar (33), as the pair combined to produce a huge final few overs to surmount the 50 runs required from the final four overs to seal qualification in stunning fashion.

UAE edge USA for ninth

An unbeaten 151 from Asif Khan powered UAE to a narrow victory over USA by just a single run in Harare.

Khan produced an impressive knock to help his side post 308 for four, their highest total of the tournament, but middle over contributions for USA from Monank Patel (61), Aaron Jones (75), and Gajanand Singh (69) set up a grandstand finish.

But the American tail were unable to get their side over the line, as two wickets in the final over from Sanchit Sharma sealed victory.

It was the opening partnership that proved so devastating for UAE, as Sharma (57) and Khan combined for an initial stand of 107 before the former was caught and bowled by Nosthush Kenjige.

Khan was simply unstoppable for UAE, inspiring his side’s total to the brink of 300 alongside Basil Hameed (44), before hitting his 18^th boundary of the innings to set USA 308 to win.

USA started brightly in their chase, with Saiteja Mukkamalla hitting a quickfire 21 off 17 balls alongside Sushant Modani (9) as the Americans raced to 32 off the first six overs before Mukkamalla fell to Muhammad Jawadullah.

Modani followed just two balls later to leave USA 32 for two but Patel and Jones combined to lift their side to a much healthier 144 for three before Patel was bowled by Aayan Afzal Khan with 20 overs remaining.

A rapid 69 from just 44 balls from Singh then shifted the momentum of the match with USA left needing 62 from the remaining 46 balls as Singh was eventually dismissed by Junaid Siddique.

Shayan Jahangir (32) led the final run chase to set up a nervy finish, with USA requiring 11 from the final over to win.

But Sharma dismissed both Nisarg Patel and Ali Khan in the final over to ensure UAE sneaked over the line and sealed ninth.

Sri Lanka and Windies round off Super Six

The Super Six comes to a close tomorrow, as already qualified Sri Lanka take on West Indies in Harare.

Windies have endured a torrid time so far in Zimbabwe, but will be hopeful of ending their campaign with what would be an impressive victory over table-toppers Sri Lanka.

The Lions now know they will face Netherlands in Sunday’s final and will hope to continue their momentum with another strong display.

As the tournament finally edges towards the business end, the defending champions have long since become an afterthought in the wider context of the competition.

They have lost six of their seven games and saw their last mathematical chance of a miracle wiped off the table by rivals Australia in Ahmedabad last week.

The best they can hope for now is avoiding a first ever ODI defeat to the Dutch, the only associate nation competing in India, and keep their prospects of reaching the 2025 Champions Trophy alive.

They need a top-eight finish to book their spot, meaning there is no leeway for wallowing in their dreadful form when they take the field in Pune on Wednesday.

The appearance of Hopkinson, a low-key member of the backroom team responsible primarily for fielding, suggested the squad were not keen on issuing their own public call to arms, but he has no qualms about their motivation.

“I don’t think there’s ever a dead rubber when you play for England, to be honest. I think the lads are completely up for it,” he said.

“We’ve got two games in which we need to win both to qualify for the Champions Trophy, so I think that’s there for everybody to see. The guys are going to be obviously up for it and I think we’ll be good.

“We need to win and win well to qualify for the Champions Trophy, which is what we need to do.”

On his unexpected role as carrier of the England message, he added: “I’m not quite sure why I’m the man to explain, (but) I’m an assistant coach with the England team and I’m more than happy to come out and speak about our campaign so far.”

England have named an unchanged side for the last three games, losing emphatically to Sri Lanka, India and Australia, and could belatedly mix things up.

Harry Brook is on hand to add ballast to a badly under-performing top six, but could be added in place of all-rounder Liam Livingstone rather than one of the specialist batters.

Livingstone adds an extra spin option but has not been able to carry his share of the run-scoring load, with just 60 runs in six innings.

Pace bowler Mark Wood, who has been managing a sore knee, could also miss out with Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson snapping at his heels for a chance.

Wood is the fastest seamer in the squad by a distance, consistently clearing 90mph, but has struggled to keep a lid on his economy rate and has only six wickets at 58.16.

Carse and Atkinson are both likely to form part of England’s white-ball future, leaving captain Jos Buttler and coach Matthew Mott to decide whether now is the time to blood them in a game with live stakes.

Ben Stokes’ fitness was under observation on the eve of the match, with the Test captain carrying various niggles. He missed the first three games here with a hip problem and is set to undergo surgery on his long-standing left-knee injury when he gets back to England.

Former England quick Steve Harmison told the PA news agency this week that the team management should instruct Stokes to leave the camp and go home early in a bid to fast-track his recovery for the new-year Test series in India.

But Hopkinson suggested that idea was not under consideration.

“Knowing Ben, he’ll want to try and play the next game in front of him and try and win that for England,” he said.

“He’s about winning games of cricket for England, so I’d imagine that’s what he’ll be thinking about first and foremost.

“Once he’s obviously made that decision to have the operation, that’s obviously booked in and that’s what he’s going to do, but it’s not before this tournament finishes.”

The tourists posted the highest score in ODI history of 498 in Friday's first match, but they only required 236 runs to chase down their opponents' total in Amstelveen on Sunday.

However, after making a positive start to their response with Jason Roy (73) and Phil Salt (77) putting on a 139-run opening stand, England began to falter.

Captain Eoin Morgan again went for a duck and Liam Livingstone (4) followed, but Dawid Malan (36 not out) and Moeen Alli (42 n.o.) helped England claim victory with 29 balls to spare.

The start of play was delayed due to overnight rain, with the match reduced to 41 overs per side as a result.

Picking up from where they left off after their record win last week, England took the Netherlands' first three wickets for just 36.

New captain Scott Edwards spearheaded a recovery for the hosts with 78 off 73 balls, having earlier been given out before the leg before wicket decision was overturned.

Edwards was run out by David Willey, who ended with figures of 2-46 with the ball, while Adil Rashid also claimed the wickets of Max O'Dowd (7) and Tim Pringle (0).

England, who handed Roy his 150th ODI outing and Jos Butler his 100th, were on course for an easy win in pursuit of 235-7 until a flurry of wickets made things interesting.

Shane Snater caught his cousin Roy and then Morgan, either side of Salt being sent packing by Aryan Dutt, before Pringle took Livingstone from his first ball.

Yet Mooen and Malan steadied the ship to steer England to victory.

Edwards digs deep for the Dutch

Replacing former skipper Pieter Seelaar, who announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday, Edwards stepped up for the Netherlands after electing to bat first, with his knock including three sixes.

That was the highest score of the day, though it was not enough to prevent the Dutch from slipping to an 11th successive ODI loss – not since between February 1996 and February 2003, a run of 12 matches, have they endured a longer losing run.

Morgan frustrated

Morgan was in need of some runs to get himself back into form after registering a first golden duck in the format since September 2017 in Friday's opener.

But he scored another zero, this time when attempting to hit Tom Cooper across the line but only succeeding in giving Snater a simple snare, and questions might be asked over his place in this England team.

Morgan has struggled for form during the three-match series, which England lead 2-0 after dominant displays in the first two outings.

While the likes of Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan have delivered in Amstelveen, Morgan has not scored a run across the two games.

He went for a golden duck in the first ODI – the first time that has happened in the format since September 2017 – and scored another zero last time out.

Indeed, Morgan has passed 50 just once in his last eight ODI innings since scoring 106 against Ireland in February 2020, raising questions over his future as ODI skipper.

The 35-year-old has been nursing a groin issue, having previously struggled with back and knee problems, and missed a training session at the VRA Cricket Ground on Tuesday.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed ahead of the third ODI that Morgan would play no part for "precautionary" reasons.

Jos Buttler will therefore captain England on his 101st ODI appearance as they look to complete a clean sweep.

England have won their last seven ODIs – not since between January and May 2017 have they enjoyed a longer run (eight) – while the Netherlands have lost 11 in a row.

An England side missing numerous Test stars, such as Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, were quickly in the ascendancy when opener Phil Salt scored his first ODI hundred from 82 balls as the tourists posted 498-4.

Salt fell soon after for 122, with Dawid Malan carrying on the pressure as he reached his maiden 50-over international ton from 90 deliveries.

That made Malan just the second England player to score a century in all three formats, alongside Buttler, who joined the Yorkshire batter at the crease and started in destructive fashion.

Buttler was dropped on 37 by Musa Ahmed at long-on off the bowling of captain Pieter Seelaar before continuing his onslaught to reach three figures in just 47 balls.

All three of the fastest 50-over hundreds for England have come from Buttler after he achieved the feat in 46 balls against Pakistan in 2015 and 50 deliveries against the same opposition four years later.

Malan was then dismissed by Seelar for 125 and captain Eoin Morgan followed to the next ball but that only brought in Liam Livingstone, who crashed plundered 32 from a single Philippe Boissevain over.

Livingstone, dropped on 46 by Boissevain, subsequently brought up England's fastest ODI fifty off just 17 balls before the tourists recorded the highest score in 50-over internationals.

Morgan's side surpassed their own previous international record 481 set at Trent Bridge against Australia in 2018, as well as the List A benchmark set when Surrey scored 496 in 2007 against Gloucestershire.

Having followed up last week's world-record ODI total of 498 with another six-wicket victory on Sunday, England had the opportunity to seal a series whitewash, which they seized in ruthless fashion as Roy (101 not out) and Jos Buttler (86no) starred.

England originally looked set to endure a more challenging contest when the Netherlands reached 203-3, but the hosts' spectacular collapse with the bat – in which David Willey (4-36) was influential – set the stage for another comfortable chase from the tourists.

Having been put in to bat by stand-in England skipper Buttler, the Netherlands recovered from Willey's fifth-over dismissal of Vikramjit Singh (6) to build a solid platform, with Tom Cooper the next to fall for 33 after the hosts reached 88-2.

The trio of Max O'Dowd (50), Bas de Leede (56) and captain Scott Edwards (64) went well before Willey took advantage of a total collapse as the hosts squandered their opportunity to set an imposing target.

Yorkshire fast-bowler Willey watched on as Liam Livingstone (1-40), Brydon Carse (2-49) and David Payne (1-38) accounted for the aforementioned trio, finishing with four wickets of his own after dismissing Logan van Beek (0), Aryan Dutt (0) and Paul van Meekeren (2) late on as the hosts were bowled out for just 244.

The Netherlands struggled to make early inroads in the field as England reached 85 without loss, though Van Meekeren's (2-59) patience was rewarded when he followed up the removal of Phil Salt (49) by sending David Malan packing for a duck within two balls.

But that proved to be the only blip of a dominant batting display, with the imperious duo of Roy and Buttler finishing unbeaten as the rest of the Dutch attack failed to take a single wicket, Buttler finishing a comfortable outing in fitting fashion with a six at the start of the 31st over.

Roy brings up double figures

Roy's 101 allowed England to race to victory in just over 30.1 overs, and represented the 10th ODI century of his England career. He is just the third opening batsman to reach that tally for the side, after Marcus Trescothick and Jonny Bairstow. 

Willey takes four as England ease to victory

Having gone 2-42 and 2-46 in England's first two wins over the Netherlands, Willey stepped it up another notch with a superb four-wicket haul, skittling the hosts as their early momentum dissipated ahead of a comfortable England chase. 

Dutch opener Vikramjit will be particularly glad to see the back of Willey, who has sent him packing in each of the series' three contests.

Stokes has taken the Test captaincy by storm, winning his first two matches against the world Test champions New Zealand, while England have been playing white-ball fixtures in the Netherlands.

England coasted to an eighth straight ODI win on Wednesday, their longest run since a streak between January and May 2017 (also eight), to complete the series sweep over the Netherlands.

Morgan missed that outing in the Amsterdam suburbs due to a groin issue, but the 35-year-old failed to score a run in each of the first two games.

The England white-ball skipper has passed 50 just once in his last eight ODI innings since scoring 106 against Ireland in February 2020, but Stokes was quick to back Morgan.

"Well, he's only had two low scores so I wouldn't say he's going through a hard time at the moment," said Stokes as England prepare for the third Test against New Zealand at Headingley on Thursday.

"I think the press are the only ones giving him a hard time and I think the players have shown it's not an issue with them.

"People are allowed to not score many runs and more than that he's our captain. He's a phenomenal leader and always will be so I've got no issues with anything going on with him at the moment."

Buttler stepped in as captain against the Netherlands in the absence of Morgan, blasting an unbeaten 86 from 64 deliveries as England chased 245 in just 30.1 overs.

The absence of Morgan was labelled as a "precautionary issue" by England and Buttler assured his captain has the backing of the entire team.

"There's certainly no questioning of his position from within the camp," Buttler said. "I can't put into words what he's achieved. 

"Everyone always talks about his captaincy but you forget what a brilliant batsman he's been for England in over 200 ODIs – that doesn't just go away overnight. Everyone in the team is backing him."

The destructive white-ball form of Buttler has led to suggestions he could return to the England Test side, with Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum encouraging an aggressive brand of cricket.

Buttler acknowledged he is in the form of his life, but says there has been no contact regarding a return to the red-ball team.

"I'd have to say yes," said Buttler, when asked whether he was in the form of his life. "The IPL was incredibly special personally to have a tournament like that, I surprised myself.

"I think what's important for us in white-ball cricket in England is we talk about playing in a particular fashion and we must try and live that to the max.

"Of course, there's a bit of a risk element to that way of playing but it's what we ask of everyone."

"I haven't had any conversations with anyone about [the Test team]. I'm very happy with where I'm at, at the moment. It might not ever be a question that has to be answered."

The batsman looked in imperious form as he put together an unbeaten 119 from 130 balls, at the top of the order, to anchor the Caribbean team in a 7-wicket, in Amstelveen.

The immortal innings not only gave the West Indies a 1-0 series lead but also saw Hope join legends Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Viv Richards, and Gordon Greenidge on 11 100s for the men in maroon.  The total is the 4^th highest behind Chris Gayle (25), Brian Lara (19), and Desmond Haynes (17).

“I just like batting, so any opportunity I get I am going to stay out there as long as I can,” Hope said after the match.

“The main priority here is to get the team over the line and I open the batting so that’s just how it works,” he added.

The West Indies and The Netherlands are currently locked in a three-match ODI series.

Introduced to help bring context to 50-over cricket at the highest level, the Super League will be used as a qualification system for the next ICC World Cup, scheduled for 2023 in India.

There will be 13 teams involved – the 12 full members, as well as the Netherlands – and the top seven in the final table will automatically secure their place at the global tournament, the ICC confirmed in a statement.

All sides will play four series at home and away, with each consisting of three matches.

"The league will bring relevance and context to ODI cricket over the next three years, as qualification for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is at stake," Geoff Allardice, ICC general manager for cricket operations, said.

"The Super League gives cricket fans around the world even more reasons to watch as the drama of league cricket unfolds.

"The decision last week to move the World Cup back to late 2023 gives us more time to schedule any games lost due to COVID-19 and preserve the integrity of the qualification process, meaning it will be decided on the field of play, which is important."

Reigning world champions England will kick things off this week when they start their series against Ireland, the first of three matches between the teams taking place at the Rose Bowl on Thursday.

"We're looking forward to playing cricket again and to the ICC Men's World Cup Super League," England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan said.

"Given the situation, it will be quite different to the last time we played at home, when we lifted the World Cup at Lord's, but it's nice to be starting our journey for the next edition of the tournament. 

"I'm sure cricket fans all over the world will be excited to see white-ball cricket resume and we're looking forward to the challenge."

Key has flown out to India for the second time, having been part of the touring party earlier in the tournament, and will begin the process of picking the bones out of a miserable title defence with Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott in the coming days.

A 160-run win over Netherlands in Pune on Wednesday gives them something positive to talk about after five successive defeats and put England back on track for Champions Trophy qualification in 2025 ahead of their final game against Pakistan.

There have been questions over the leadership of the side in India, which Key may wish to examine more closely, but Buttler has made it clear he wants to lead what will be a much-changed squad when it tours the West Indies next month.

Asked if he would be travelling as skipper, Buttler said: “Yeah, I’d like to. I know Rob Key arrives into India today. We can have some good conversations with him and the coach and make a plan for that tour. But, yes, I would like to.

“I’m competitive, I want to win any game I play, whether it’s a game of cards or a game of cricket. So I’m delighted with this win. It’s been a frustrating time, not winning games of cricket or playing as well as we’d like, I’m delighted with this win.”

Match-winner Ben Stokes, whose backs-against-the-wall 108 set England up for victory, will not be going to the Caribbean as he heads for a knee operation at the end of the tournament.

Some, including his friend and former team-mate Steve Harmison, felt Stokes should have been sent home for surgery as soon as the semi-finals were out of reach but his presence carried the side through a familiar batting wobble against the Dutch.

At one stage they had slipped from 133 for one to 192 for six and, without Stokes’ bullish knock, would have fallen far short of their winning mark of 339.

The man himself told the post-match presentation “I don’t leave anyone hanging” and Buttler said an early exit was never on the cards.

“No, we haven’t had any conversations like that. It’s not Ben’s style at all,” he said.

“He’s committed, he wants to play and he wants to put in performances like you saw here. Anytime you need someone to stand up when the team’s under pressure, he’s had a history of always doing that for whoever he’s playing for.

“We’re very lucky to have him in the team and I thought his innings today was exceptional.”

England head to Kolkata on Thursday, where they conclude their disappointing campaign against Pakistan at the weekend.

Their opponents still have a chance to reach the semi-finals, while Buttler’s men still need to tie down a top-eight finish to book a Champions Trophy place in 2025.

“It’s a huge game for us, vital,” he said.

“We haven’t performed the way we wanted to this whole trip, and we’d like to leave India putting in a proper performance.”

Morgan has guided England's white-ball sides through a transformative period since taking the captaincy in 2014.

The 35-year-old guided England to a dramatic World Cup triumph over New Zealand in the 50-over format in 2019, having taking his side to the T20 World Cup final three years before.

Another semi-final appearance came at the T20 World Cup in 2021, where England were defeated by New Zealand.

Matthew Mott has since taken the white-ball coaching role with England, who have defeated the Netherlands twice in as many ODIs to secure an unassailable 2-0 series lead before the final match on Wednesday.

While the likes of Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan have delivered in the Amsterdam suburbs, Morgan has not scored a run across the two games.

Morgan has passed 50 just once in his last eight ODI innings since scoring 106 against Ireland in February 2020, but Livingstone voiced his support for the England skipper.

"The thing that has been forgotten is Morgs is an unbelievable leader," Livingstone told Sky Sports. "He is the leader of our team and everybody knows he is only one score away.

"I'm sure that score will come very soon and he'll be off and running again."

England blasted a world-record ODI score of 498 in the first match against the Netherlands, with Buttler smashing the second-fastest 50-over century for his country in just 47 balls.

All three of the fastest 50-over hundreds for England have come from Buttler, and Livingstone says he is learning every time he bats with the wicket-keeper.

"To watch Jos go about his business, it was nice to have him on my side this time round," Livingstone added, having played against Buttler in the Indian Premier League this year.

"It was pretty special to watch, especially from the other end.

"It's been great fun. It was nice to obviously break the world record on Friday, the lads have put in some really good cricket, it has been a great standard and hopefully it's the same again [on Wednesday]."

David Miller was the Proteas' star with an unbeaten 59, as South Africa recovered from a dismal start in which they had slumped to 12-3.

The Netherlands had started poorly themselves with the bat, though Sybrand Engelbrecht steadied the ship with a 45-ball 40 before he was caught by Marco Jansen from Ottniel Baartman's delivery.

And with that, the Netherlands' scoring rate soon fizzled out, with the Dutch finishing on 103-9.

That lacklustre conclusion to their innings looked set to be swiftly forgotten as South Africa's top order disintegrated inside the first four overs, and the Netherlands seemed to be on their way to a famous win.

But a strong partnership of Tristan Stubbs (33) and Miller anchored South Africa's innings, and the Proteas emerged victorious with an over to spare.

Miller fittingly confirmed the victory with a six, smashing that shot through the leg side.

Sri Lanka remain bottom of Group D following their two-wicket defeat to Bangladesh earlier in the day. 

Meanwhile, Afghanistan continued their excellent start at this year's tournament, beating New Zealand by 84 runs to move top of Group C. 

Data Debrief: Dutch come unstuck

The defeat for the Netherlands ended their longest unbeaten streak in the competition, with the Dutch having won each of their last three matches at the T20 World Cup.

South Africa gained a measure of revenge, meanwhile, for their 13-run defeat to the Netherlands at the 2022 T20 World Cup.