NED vs IRE 2021: 3 players you can pick as captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the 1st ODI between Netherlands and Ireland
Netherlands and Ireland face off at the Sportpark Maarschalkerweerd on June 2 in the first of three ODIs.
Interestingly, this will be the first meeting between Netherlands and Ireland in ODIs since 2013. The Dutchmen are playing only their third game in the format since June 2019, while Ireland don't have a win in any of their last four ODI series.
While the form of both sides doesn't point to an exciting clash, the three-match series will be part of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League and will have a major bearing on the landscape of international cricket.
Netherlands' squad: Pieter Seelaar (captain), Scott Edward, Max O’Dowd, Stephan Myburgh, Ben Cooper, Bas de Leede, Timm van der Gugten, Logan van Beek, Fred Klaassen, Philippe Boissevain, Vivian Kingma, Brandon Glover, Tobias Visée, Musa Nadeem Ahmad, Saqib Zulfiqar
Ireland's squad: Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Graeme McCarter, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, William Porterfield, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young
Here are three players who can be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the 1st ODI between Netherlands and Ireland.
#3 Andrew Balbirnie (Ireland)
Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie has the unenviable task of managing a number of veteran cricketers and former captains in the dressing room. But under his leadership, cricket in his country has consistently been on the rise, even if it doesn't show in recent results.
When it comes to personal batting form, Balbirnie has had rough patches, with his County stint at Glamorgan and white-ball series against Afghanistan not going to plan this year. But his recent run with Leinster in the Cricket Ireland Inter-Provincial Limited-Over Cup saw him notch up scores of 126, 2*, 5 and 85*.
Balbirnie is a good choice to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the 1st ODI between Netherlands and Ireland.
#2 Pieter Seelaar (Netherlands)
Pieter Seelaar has been part of the Netherlands setup since 2006, when he made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka as a teenager. Now the captain, at 33 years of age, the all-rounder is the heart and soul of the team.
Seelaar not only has to bat in the top four and rescue Netherlands from top-order collapses but also turn in some handy overs of left-arm spin. While his bowling has been used less frequently in the recent past, he is by far the most important player in the playing XI.
As the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the 1st ODI between Netherlands and Ireland, Seelaar could generate a massive points haul.
#1 Paul Stirling (Ireland)
Opener Paul Stirling is one of the greatest batsmen Ireland has ever produced and shows no signs of slowing down even at 30 years old. One of the few Irish players to take part in various T20 franchise leagues around the world, he has consistently given his team explosive starts at the top of the order in white-ball cricket.
Apart from the Abu Dhabi T10 and the Pakistan Super League, Stirling was decent in the Cricket Ireland Inter-Provincial Limited-Over Cup. In six ODI matches against the Oranje, he averages 47.66 with one century and has even taken ten wickets at a bowling average of 16.2.
Stirling is a good choice to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the 1st ODI between Netherlands and Ireland.