"Playing against Netherlands at the end of home summer is helpful"- NZ batter Will Young after his maiden international century

New Zealand's top-order batter Will Young revealed that playing against the Netherlands towards the end of the home summer has been helpful for his side. Young felt it allowed them to play with freedom and express themselves more on the field in white-ball cricket as a unit.

He has been on the fringes of the New Zealand squad for some time, as most of the slots are preoccupied. Due to this, he is yet to establish his position in the playing XI.

Regular captain Kane Williamson's absence in the series against the Netherlands has opened the door for the 29-year old in the Kiwi side. Young made the most of the opportunity by bringing up his maiden international century in the first ODI at Mount Maunganui on Tuesday.

Speaking after his match-winning hundred at a press conference, Will Young reflected on his career trajectory and recent opportunities for the New Zealand team. He said:

“To be honest, it has been a bit of a funny summer. I haven't played as much cricket, as I normally would have. I'm just taking it each game as I play. I’m just trying to make the most of every single opportunity I have in the middle there.

On the similarities of his last two home summers, Young further added:

“I sort of feel that this summer is a little bit similar to the previous summer. If you remember, Bangladesh came at the end of last summer and I got a couple of opportunities there. So, I’m sort of in a similar scenario, I guess playing against the Netherlands at the end of this home summer is helpful. It is a nice way to finish playing some white-ball cricket and you can go out there and express yourself.”

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New Zealand beat the Netherlands comfortably by seven wickets thanks to Will Young's 103*

After batting first in the contest, the visiting Netherlands team reached 202 before getting all-out with two balls remaining in the innings. Michael Rippon (61) and captain Pieter Seelaar (43) played decent knocks for the Dutch team. Kyle Jamieson (3/45) and Blair Tickner (4/50) were among the wickets for the hosts.

In the chase, Netherlands pacer Logan van Beek dismissed veteran opener Martin Guptill (2 in 10 balls) cheaply to give hope to his side. Henry Nicholls (57) and Will Young did not let the visitors into the game by stitching a match-defining stand of 162 runs for the second wicket. It helped New Zealand cruise to victory in 38.3 overs.

New Zealand and the Netherlands will face off in the second ODI of the 3-match series at Hamilton on Saturday, and the match will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video.